Zach Cregger, acclaimed director of the horror film Barbarian and a member of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids You 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 names Netflix and Warner Bros. among the four studios vying for the rights.
Cregger gained notoriety for his 2022 horror hit Barbarian, a suspenseful tale of a woman's terrifying discovery in 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 need to be a real link)
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, generated $1.2 billion worldwide, despite deviating from the games' storylines. A 2021 reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City, directed by Johannes Roberts, aimed for greater game fidelity but fell short of the games' quality.
Constantin Film, in collaboration with PlayStation Productions, will produce Cregger's reboot, mirroring their involvement in previous films. Established in 2019, Sony's PlayStation Productions facilitates the adaptation of its games into film and television, including Uncharted (starring Tom Holland), Grand Turismo, the The Last of Us TV series, and Twisted Metal.
Future PlayStation Productions projects include adaptations of 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.
