First Trailer Released for Upcoming Resident Evil Film by Weapons Director

The upcoming Resident Evil movie, directed by Zach Cregger, known for his work on Weapons and Barbarian, has just dropped its first trailer. This fresh take on Capcom’s iconic survival horror series promises to diverge significantly from the previous seven live-action films and the short-lived Netflix series.

Cregger has made it clear that he’s not simply retelling the game narratives. Instead, he’s crafting an original story that “takes place in the world of the games.”

In the teaser, we meet Bryan, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams, who finds himself in a frantic fight for survival as a terrifying night spirals into chaos. The film hints at some of the more bizarre and monstrous entities that will feature, pushing the boundaries beyond the classic Resident Evil zombies.

Cregger shared his vision, stating, “[T]he journey you’ll have as a viewer of watching this movie is going to be similar to the journey you have as a player when you play these games.” He elaborated that the film follows a single protagonist on a harrowing descent into darkness. Cregger believes this adaptation aligns with his creative style and offers a grander scale than his previous works.

Over the last two decades, Sony Pictures has produced a variety of films based on Resident Evil, including six directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich. After the 2016 release of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the franchise attempted a reboot with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, which aimed to return to its roots by incorporating elements from the first two games. However, that film was met with mixed reviews, prompting Sony and Constantin Films to pursue another reboot with Cregger at the helm.

Cregger has stated that he won’t draw inspiration from the previous films, admitting he hasn’t watched any of them.

The cast includes Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kali Reis, with Cregger directing from a script he co-wrote with Shay Hatten. The movie is set to hit theaters on September 18 and will be available in IMAX.

Additionally, Capcom has another major film adaptation in the works, with Kitao Sakurai’s Street Fighter scheduled for 2026.