Zach Cregger, acclaimed director of the horror film Barbarian and a member of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids You Know, is helming a Resident Evil reboot.
The Hollywood Reporter reports a fierce bidding war is underway for distribution rights to Cregger's adaptation of Capcom's iconic survival horror franchise. Cregger is set to write and direct the reboot. THR names Netflix and Warner Bros. among the four studios vying for the rights.
Cregger gained significant recognition for his 2022 horror hit, Barbarian, a suspenseful tale centered on a woman's unsettling discovery at a rented house. He has already completed his next film, Weapons, which reportedly received exceptionally positive audience test screenings.
[Read our Barbarian review here.](link to review)
This marks the second cinematic Resident Evil reboot. A previous series of six films, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, despite deviating from the game storylines. A 2021 reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City, directed by Johannes Roberts, aimed for greater game fidelity but fell short of the original games' quality.
Similar to the Anderson films and Welcome to Raccoon City, Constantin Film will produce the upcoming reboot in collaboration with PlayStation Productions. Established in 2019, Sony's PlayStation Productions facilitates the adaptation of its game properties into film and television, including Uncharted (starring Tom Holland), Gran Turismo, the The Last of Us TV series, and Twisted Metal.
Future PlayStation Productions projects include adaptations of Until Dawn, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Gravity Rush, Helldivers, Horizon Zero Dawn, and an Uncharted sequel. A God of War TV series and a recently announced Ghost of Tsushima anime series are also in development.
