Sony Drops Resident Evil Trailer From Zach Cregger
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- Sony released the trailer for a new "Resident Evil" film co-written by Shay Hatten and directed by Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind last year's well-received horror hit "Weapons."
- The film introduces an original protagonist — a courier delivering a package — caught in a Raccoon City outbreak, with Cregger deliberately excluding established video game characters Leon S. Kennedy and Jill Valentine.
- Capcom's "Resident Evil" originated as a PlayStation game in 1994, spawning more than a dozen game sequels and remakes, including this year's "Resident Evil Requiem."
- Six prior "Resident Evil" films — beginning with the 2002 Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez film and including Jovovich's four sequels through 2017's "The Final Chapter" and the 2021 Johannes Roberts reboot "Welcome to Raccoon City" — have collectively grossed over $1.2 billion at the global box office.
- Constantin Film is producing and co-financing the new entry, alongside PlayStation Productions, Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee, and Miri Yoon of Vertigo Entertainment.
- The film is set to open in theaters on September 18, landing directly in the pre-Halloween horror corridor.
Why it matters: Sony is handing its $1.2 billion-grossing zombie franchise to Zach Cregger, one of horror's hottest directorial names after 2024's "Weapons," and the bet is that brand recognition can carry a film without Leon Kennedy or Jill Valentine. The September 18 release positions the film squarely in the pre-Halloween theatrical window, where original horror has outperformed franchise revivals in recent years.
