Zach Cregger Teases "Unique Adversaries" in His RESIDENT EVIL Movie that "People Haven't Seen Before"

Weapons director Zach Creggeris stepping into the world ofResident Eviland it looks like he’s make a freakin’ great movie! This is one gaming’s most iconic horror franchises, and from what he’s saying, he isn’t just playing the hits. He’s bringing something new and unexpected to the nightmare.

When reflecting on the villain in Weapons, nobody, including Cregger himself, saw the cultural explosion of Aunt Gladys coming. The creepy red-haired villain, brought to life by Amy Madigan, became a full-on phenomenon.

Cregger admits: "That was kind of an amazing moment with Amy and I think we were all surprised at how much it resonated with people,"

That success raises the obvious question. Can he pull it off again with Resident Evil? Cregger isn’t pretending he has a formula for that kind of lightning strike. He said:

"I think I would be deluding myself if I thought that was something I'd be able to just recreate at will. So who's to say? But there are some very unique adversaries in this [movie] that I think are really fun and that people haven't seen before, that still kind of belong in the world of the games. They're going to fit in. They're not going to break the lore of Resident Evil. But I also think that they're new.

"And so I'm excited to see how people respond to those, but I think that Austin [Abrams] is going to be what people really, really resonate with. Because, for me, what's so fun about this movie is that the character that Austin's playing is very much like an avatar for me, and how I would behave and how I would respond if I was dropped into a Resident Evil game.

“I am not a badass at all. I don't know how to use guns very well. I miss 99% of the shots I take, and I would be running in terror and cussing my face off at every encounter.

“And I think it's going to be really fun to be following somebody through this gauntlet that is not, like, SEAL Team Six-level prepared, you know. And so I think that's going to be something that hopefully people will really get a kick out of."

That idea already sets this version of Resident Evil apart from anything else we’ve seen. Instead of following hyper-capable heroes, the film centers on a guy who reacts the way most of us probably would in a zombie-infested nightmare.

Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier who gets pulled into the chaos of Raccoon City when a routine job spirals out of control. He isn’t a legacy character pulled from the games, and that’s very much by design.

"I never wanted to tell the story of any of the characters from the games," Cregger explains. "I figure if I am honoring the games, 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.

“I'm not recasting Leon, god forbid. You know, I'm letting Leon stay Leon. And I feel like that's the most respectful thing I could do."

That approach could be exactly what the Resident Evil franchise needs. Instead of retreading familiar ground, Cregger is building something that feels like a fresh playthrough, complete with new threats lurking around every corner while still respecting the lore longtime fans care about.

Between the promise of original monsters and a protagonist who isn’t exactly action-hero material, this movie could deliver a very different kind of survival horror experience. If those “unique adversaries” land the way Cregger hopes, we might be looking at the next wave of nightmare fuel fans will latch onto.

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18, and it’s shaping up to be one of the more unpredictable video game adaptations in recent memory.

Source: GamesRadar+