Director Zach Cregger is flying high after the success of his crowd-pleasing horror Weapons last year, and his Resident Evil reboot shows promising signs.
Sony has given Cregger the keys to revitalise the video-game-to-screen franchise, with an alleged $20 million fee to have creative freedom to bring Raccon City back to the big screen.
And according to World of Reel, Cregger’s flick has performed strongly with test audiences and is reminiscent of a modern action film classic.
A mad, furious ‘Resident Evil’ film
World of Reel’s report cites one audience member of the Resident Evil test screening, likening Cregger’s work to being a horror version of Mad Max: Fury Road.
Fury Road saw George Miller lovingly reinvigorate his Mad Max franchise for the 21st Century with a pure shot of adrenaline.
The flick was a road movie on acid, a two-hour thrill ride through the desolate, post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland.
It wowed audiences and critics alike, and its imprint on cinephiles lasts to this day and is certainly a high watermark for any film to aspire to reaching.
The details on Cregger’s film are scarce, but it’s said to be a lean, 90-minute burst of horror-infused action.
Austin Abrams, fresh from his turn in Cregger’s Weapons, will be central to this new cinema spin on Resident Evil.
Abrams’ character, a courier, is tasked with delivering a package to Raccoon City Hospital amid a deadly virus outbreak.
Understandably, Abrams’ journey is one of pure unbridled mayhem.
When is ‘Resident Evil’ coming to cinemas?
Mad Max: Fury Road was simple in its premise and epic in its execution.
Word has it that Cregger’s new Resident Evil film is similar, with a small roster of characters and a focus on genre and practical effects.
Hopefully, the early promising signs ring true and general audiences will find out when Resident Evil is released in cinemas on 18 September 2026.
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