Resident Evil Director Is Already Thinking Sequels

Weapons director Zach Cregger took a very different approach with his new adaptation of Resident Evil. Rather than adapting the characters and narrative of Capcom's survival-horror game franchise, Cregger is instead translating what it feels like to exist in one of Resident Evil's worst-case scenarios. Resident Evil follows a hapless medical courier, played by Austin Abrams, as he attempts to survive a journey to Raccoon City, which is now infested with zombies and other monstrosities.

That may not sound like your typical franchise starter, but a sequel to Resident Evil is already looking likely.

Perhaps the most important indicator that Resident Evil will spawn a sequel is the movie's early box office performance. According to a report from Deadline, September's Resident Evil is already tracking toward a record-setting opening weekend for the franchise — somewhere between $35 million and $50 million domestically. Sony Pictures must be happy about that, considering the previous movie in the franchise, 2021's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, finished its theatrical run with a $41.9 million worldwide haul.

Cregger himself might be on board for a sequel. He tells Polygon that he was thinking his Resident Evil journey would be a "one and done" flirtation with Capcom's IP. But after completing the film, he says he has more ideas for the franchise.

Resident Evil 2 is already on the table

In an interview with Cregger, Polygon editor-in-chief Matt Patches asked the director if he was hoping to kickstart the franchise for a possible new trilogy.

"That was not what I was thinking when I was making the movie," Cregger said. "I was thinking one and done. Now that it's completed, I can't help myself. This is just the way my brain works. I've already got other ideas of what could happen.

"But my next movie is already kind of in place here, and it's not a Resident Evil movie. I'm going to go make something else. But on the other side of that, who knows? Who can say? Anything could happen."

Resident Evil is now in movie theaters. Cregger's next movie, an original sci-fi story called The Flood, is slated for released on Aug. 11, 2028. Steven Spielberg's production company Amblin Entertainment is producing the film, which Cregger calls "maybe the best thing I ever wrote."