Director Zach Cregger is taking a distinct approach to his upcoming Resident Evil film, choosing to craft an original story with new characters rather than adapt existing game narratives or recast iconic figures like Leon Kennedy. Cregger, a self-proclaimed superfan of the series, stated that he believes he cannot improve upon the established characters from the games.
"I'm not going to be able to improve on Leon," Cregger explained in an interview with ScreenRant. "I feel like Leon exists in the games and anyone I cast and any haircut I give him or any line of dialogue I make him say it's just not going to be Leon because Leon exists."
Instead, Cregger aims to tell a new story that remains faithful to the world and rules of the Resident Evil games, focusing on the survival horror elements that define the franchise. He believes that while action-heavy adaptations struggle, leaning into atmosphere, dread, and tension offers a higher probability of success. He contrasts this with the action-oriented approaches seen in previous film adaptations, where elaborate stunts can feel out of place. "What the games do well is they build this incredible atmosphere and this dread and this tension as you progress through these set pieces, and things just escalate, and escalate, and escalate," Cregger noted. "You always feel like you have not enough resources and you're wounded and the whole world is completely stacked against you—that's what makes Resident Evil so enjoyable for me to play. That's what this movie is built to do, to give you that slow dread tension and escalation that the games have perfected."
This focus on grounded survival horror and original storytelling marks a departure from previous Resident Evil films, aiming to capture the authentic experience of playing the games. The director's stated intention is to celebrate the games by understanding and adhering to their core appeal, rather than attempting to replicate or alter beloved characters and plotlines.