Resident Evil Director Knows RE2 Didn't Have Snow or iPhones, But He 'Took Liberties' to Make the Movie Better

Resident Evil manager Zach Cregger has seen each the comments astir the snowfall and iPhones successful his caller movie, but helium said he's got a bully crushed for wherefore helium "took liberties" with the lore.

Cregger has spent immoderate of his clip astatine San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 celebrating the merchandise of his movie's caller trailer. He's besides utilized his beingness astatine the amusement to speech much astir wherefore his mentation of the Raccoon City Incident looks antithetic from what fans of games similar Resident Evil 2 and 3 mightiness person expected.

"I instrumentality liberties," helium told IGN. "It's not 1998. It takes spot successful modern times. I cognize that, during the events of Resident Evil 2, it's not snowing, and yet, successful this movie, I thought it would beryllium amended for the communicative and for the visual, you know, immoderate I'm doing, if it was snowy. It's going to beryllium a amended movie for it.

"I americium not trying to accommodate a video game. I'm not utilizing the characters from the games. I'm not telling a communicative that the games archer due to the fact that I'm not going to beryllium capable to bash it amended than the games. The games are truthful good executed, and to me, Leon and Claire and these characters, they beryllium truthful perfectly successful the games that anyone I formed and immoderate quality that I bash with them would be, probably, to the detriment of what I was trying to do."

Most fans would agree; mixing the manager down Barbarian and Weapons into the Resident Evil beingness feels similar a look for success. Although the premiere of its archetypal trailer mostly kept the hype momentum going, it's besides harmless to accidental it's picked up a fewer critics on the way.

Some were speedy to constituent retired that, portion the archetypal lore saw the Raccoon City Incident instrumentality spot successful the precocious '90s successful a rainy municipality connected the brink of destruction, Cregger's movie seemed to beryllium acceptable successful a much modern, wintry timeline. Despite a plethora of references to elements and moments that should consciousness acquainted to fans, the disapproval from the much skeptical watchers has lone simmered the past fewer months.

Cregger has already spent the clip starring up to the Resident Evil movie proclaiming his emotion for games similar Resident Evil 2 and 4, portion besides doing his champion to calm uneasy watchers. Now, he's doing his champion to enactment fears to remainder entirely.

"It's benignant of similar erstwhile you person your favourite book, and past you find retired idiosyncratic is turning your favourite publication into a movie, and past you perceive who they cast, and you're ever like, 'Not that. No. That's not what I want.' I'm not trying to bash that," Cregger explained. "What I'm trying to bash is marque a Resident Evil movie that truly is simply a emotion missive to the acquisition of playing a Resident Evil game. To me, that means a mates of antithetic things."

He said his imaginativeness for a Resident Evil movie needs things similar the T-Virus, Umbrella Corporation, and Raccoon City. Pieces of the puzzle similar this are "necessary," which is why, alternatively of seeing Leon quip one-liners with prima Austin Abrams, fans are acold much apt to spot that classical red-and-white logo popular up.

"They're successful there, but the astir important happening I'm trying to bash is marque a movie that feels similar it's unraveling the mode that, erstwhile you play the game, it's unfolding," Cregger continued. "To me, that means a mates of antithetic things. It's astir 1 quality moving connected ft from constituent A to constituent B, moving from acceptable portion to acceptable piece, determination to location.

"Every determination has its ain unsocial threat, right? You person to support successful caput assets absorption and your health. You're wounded, and you consciousness similar you ne'er person capable ammunition, and the satellite is ever excessively large for you, and yet somehow, you've got to marque it through, right? That's what I'm trying to do."

The astir caller Resident Evil movie trailer showed much of Abrams' courier quality portion teasing immoderate of the different connections to the wider universe. Like the archetypal clip, it had its fans and its critics, arsenic the footage reminded viewers of its modern settings and lore tweaks. Cregger has said that, erstwhile the movie yet premieres, those who are astir acquainted with the bid should consciousness close astatine home.

"It's like, if this movie was a Resident Evil game, telephone it Resident Evil 10, it wouldn't consciousness weird. You cognize what I mean? That's what I'm trying to build."

Cregger finalized his effect to acrophobic fans by saying helium gets wherefore truthful galore are upset. Resident Evil means truthful overmuch to truthful galore people, and the franchise's movies person mostly strayed from the root material, but that's wherefore this movie volition blend its lore with the existent consciousness of a endurance fearfulness adventure.

"I get the instinct to excavation in," Cregger said. "I'll beryllium honest: I've ne'er seen a Resident Evil movie due to the fact that they don't look, to me, similar what I emotion truthful overmuch astir the games that I play. I was conscionable like, 'Not my Resident Evil.' So, I recognize that attitude. I'm making this due to the fact that I privation a movie to beryllium that feels similar the acquisition of playing the game, and so, I was capable to bash that. That's what I'm doing."

Cregger's Resident Evil movie comes to theaters September 18, 2026. While we hold for Cregger to stock more, you tin cheque retired wherefore a wholly antithetic radical of fans went aft the trailer. You tin besides work astir however Abrams astir met an untimely destiny connected set.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).