Zach Cregger's RESIDENT EVIL Follows an Everyman Hero Whose Journey is Like "Frodo Going Into Mordor"

As you know, Zach Cregger is taking Capcom's iconic survival horror franchise, Resident Evil, in a new direction, and from the sound of it, he's aiming to capture the relentless pacing of the games while telling an original story through the eyes of someone who isn't remotely equipped to survive it.

The filmmaker recently shared new details about his vision for Resident Evil, and it sounds like audiences are in for a tense, nonstop ride.

"It feels like one gigantic sequence. Things pop off about five minutes in and it basically stays like that until the end," said Cregger to Empire.

"What I love about the games is that you move from set-piece to set-piece. Every location has a unique challenge... I’m borrowing from the games directly in that rhythm, where you’re just running through a gauntlet."

That description should sound pretty familiar to Resident Evil fans. The games constantly throw players into one dangerous situation after another, forcing them to scramble from one terrifying encounter to the next. It seems Cregger wants to recreate that same feeling on the big screen.

While the movie takes place during the events of 1998's Resident Evil 2, it won't be following rookie police officer Leon through the nightmare of Raccoon City. Instead, the story introduces an original protagonist named Bryan, a medical courier who finds himself trapped in the middle of the zombie outbreak while making a delivery.

Bryan is played by Austin Abrams, who previously worked with Cregger on the 2025 horror hit Weapons. Unlike most action heroes, Bryan isn't someone who knows how to fight his way through impossible situations.

"The concept here is that we’re following an idiot. Not that he’s stupid, but he’s not your typical game character, with no combat skills whatsoever and completely inept at survival," added Cregger.

"Bryan is very much an everyman who happens to be burdened with this kind of sacred mission that’s going to take him into the heart of everything. It’s kind of like Frodo going into Mordor."

That's a refreshing and unique approach for a Resident Evil movie. Rather than watching a highly trained hero mow through monsters, audiences will experience the outbreak alongside someone who's just trying to stay alive.

It leans much more into the survival horror side of the franchise, where fear, desperation, and quick thinking matter more than firepower.

Some fans may be disappointed that Leon isn't leading the story, but Cregger has already explained why he believes this approach still fits perfectly within the world of Resident Evil.

He previously said: "I don't think that me telling a story that's not about Leon is a violation of the Resident Evil world, because the games do that all the time... I'm just going to tell another story that feels like playing in the world of the game, but I'm not stepping on the toes of any of Leon's storyline."

The movie also appears to be making another noticeable change from the source material. The first trailer revealed that Raccoon City is blanketed in snow, a major departure from Resident Evil 2, which takes place during a sweltering September heatwave.

It'll be interesting to see how that winter setting changes the atmosphere and challenges Bryan faces as he fights to stay alive.

Everything Cregger has shared so far makes this adaptation sound less like a straightforward recreation of the games and more like a new nightmare unfolding inside the familiar world fans know.

If he can capture the tension, panic, and relentless momentum that define the franchise, this could end up being one of the most exciting Resident Evil movies yet.

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18.