Zach Cregger says the conversation around his Resident Evil movie rarely had much to do with the film itself. He wanted it judged on its own terms, but the discussion kept circling back to which game characters he’d left out and how closely he’d followed the lore.
Asked whether he’d adapt another property on Matthew Belloni’s The Town, in an episode released Oct. 30, Cregger explained what had worn on him: “I was frustrated at the conversation around Resident Evil and how much of the conversation really didn’t have anything to do with the movie.”
He said fans brought different expectations about characters and fidelity to the games. “It was just a lot about why isn’t this like the source material or why is it good that it’s not.”
The specific departures included leaving out Leon and other legacy characters and setting the story in a snowy 2026. At Comic-Con, Cregger addressed the demand for a direct adaptation: “If the barrier of entry is whether I do a one-for-one port, then I guess in that regard, I have failed.”
In September, he acknowledged to IGN that he’d been “naive” about how fans would receive that approach. “I’m sorry that’s not the story I’m bringing.”
The film has since earned $385.2 million worldwide, including $154.9 million domestically, making it the highest-grossing Resident Evil movie. Its worldwide total also exceeds the $270.1 million earned by Cregger’s Weapons, and it’s back in IMAX for Halloween weekend.
Asked about the result, Cregger said: “I don’t know if I feel vindicated. I’m gratified.”
