Zach Cregger, acclaimed director of the horror film Barbarian and a member of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U 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 game franchise. Cregger is set to write and direct the reboot. THR indicates four studios are vying for the rights, including Netflix and Warner Bros.
Cregger gained significant recognition for his 2022 horror hit Barbarian, a suspenseful tale of a woman's terrifying 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 would be replaced with an actual link in a real publication)
This marks the second cinematic reboot of the Resident Evil franchise. A previous series of six films, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, despite significant deviations 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 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, with previous projects including Uncharted (starring Tom Holland), Gran Turismo, the The Last of Us TV series, and Twisted Metal.
Future PlayStation Productions projects encompass 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.
