{"id":15684,"date":"2026-07-24T12:05:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15684"},"modified":"2026-07-24T12:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:05:45","slug":"resident-evils-zach-cregger-teases-fan-favorite-movie-game-tie-ins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15684","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Resident Evil&#8217;s Zach Cregger Teases Fan Favorite Movie-Game Tie-Ins"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIt may be \u201cno sweat\u201d for <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/austin-abrams\/\" id=\"auto-tag_austin-abrams\" data-tag=\"austin-abrams\">Austin Abrams<\/a>\u2019 character Bryan in the latest <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/resident-evil-trailer-zach-cregger-austin-abrams-1236876910\/\">trailer for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/resident-evil\/\" id=\"auto-tag_resident-evil\" data-tag=\"resident-evil\">Resident Evil<\/a><\/em><\/a>, but for writer-director and horror aficionado <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/zach-cregger\/\" id=\"auto-tag_zach-cregger\" data-tag=\"zach-cregger\">Zach Cregger<\/a>, his upcoming adaptation is all blood, all guts and all gory.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tCo-written with Shay Hatten, Sony\u2019s <em>Resident Evil<\/em> follows Bryan, a medical courier tasked with delivering an important package to the infamous in-game dwellings of Raccoon City. However, when Bryan arrives, he finds himself in a nonstop race for survival as the treacherous night unfolds around him. The film marks the latest big-screen adaptation of <em>Resident Evil<\/em>, the popular horror video game series from Capcom, which also doubles as one of the highest-grossing video game franchises ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tWhile attending the Resident Evil x Discord Fan Event at Comic-Con celebrating the film\u2019s impending September 18 release, Cregger and Abrams spoke to Deadline about the intimate fan-loving details that went into bringing the horror game to life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>What about Zach Cregger made you want to open yourself up to the large, passionate <\/em>Resident Evil<em> fanbase with this film?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>AUSTIN ABRAMS: <\/strong>For me, it was Zach doing his own thing with this series. I just loved working with him so much. I knew that even though it was <em>Resident Evil<\/em>, I was excited and not nervous because he loved <em>Resident Evil<\/em>. He\u2019s played so much of it that I felt I can really trust him. It was very much about trusting him and being like, \u201cLet\u2019s do fucking whatever, let\u2019s make some shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>What kind of fears is Bryan experiencing? In the latest trailer, he seems to be having some relationship troubles. What kind of things did you keep in mind while playing this character?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>ABRAMS: <\/strong>Yeah, he is dealing with relationship troubles, and then that\u2019s juxtaposed with immediately having to survive and fight for his life, which I think makes him have to look at what he\u2019s so afraid of in his regular day and in his relationship with fresh eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>ZACH CREGGER: <\/strong>I think of Brian as someone who is just starting his adult life. He has a job, but not a career. He\u2019s got a relationship that he really loves, but there\u2019s a crisis in that relationship and he feels like he\u2019s in a horror movie of his own when we start. His girlfriend is pregnant, he\u2019s not ready. He\u2019s thinking, \u201cWhat is my life going to be?\u201d And he feels like he\u2019s in his own little horror movie, and then all of a sudden, a real horror movie interrupts him and it puts all of that into perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>What was the non-negotiable essential to preserving the taste of the <\/em>Resident Evil<em> franchise in the film?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER:<\/strong> Well, there\u2019s a couple of things you have to have. First, you have the source of all the chaos of the T-virus, which is the thing that was developed by the Umbrella corporation. If you don\u2019t do that, for me, it\u2019s not <em>Resident Evil<\/em>. I feel like setting it in Raccoon City on the eve of the viral outbreak felt like, \u201cOK, that\u2019s me laying the table.\u201d But to me, the most important thing to make it a <em>Resident Evil<\/em> story is the tone and the rhythm. It\u2019s like this kind of slow progression deeper and deeper into hell. And in the first act of the movie, he\u2019s creeping into darkness, and then at a certain point, he\u2019s running for his life. It sounds like an action movie, but it\u2019s not. <em>Resident Evil <\/em>is a survival horror, not a survival action. He\u2019s not a badass going around and karate kicking these zombies. It\u2019s more intense, grounded dread, tone and atmosphere. One of the things those games do so well is that they lay out such a distinct and effective atmosphere. And so, I feel like to me, what makes this a real love letter to those games is I\u2019m trying to replicate that experience of feeling dread and tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>Now Zach, this movie is only 95 minutes. You didn\u2019t want to make a longer movie or more movies?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER: <\/strong>I think movies are too long, dude. I\u2019ve got a dog at home, and if I go to a movie, I sit through a half hour of trailers and then the movie, and I\u2019m driving back home. I\u2019m half-joking, but I think it was just a challenge to tell a really efficient story without any extra calories. I wanted to be lean and mean and tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>Were there fan favorites like Lady Dimitrescu or Wesker or other easter eggs that landed on the cutting room floor as a result of the tightness?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER: <\/strong>I intentionally didn\u2019t want to put any of the characters in the games into the movie because what I don\u2019t want to do is cannibalize all these things that the games do so well. It\u2019s kind of like when you read your favorite book and then you realize they\u2019re going to turn it into a movie, and then they cast someone you don\u2019t agree with, and you\u2019re just like, it hurts. I love those games. I don\u2019t want to step on their toes. I want to celebrate those games, and I want to make something that other people who love the games like me are going to recognize as <em>Resident Evil<\/em>. But I certainly don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to do a better job of representing someone like Leon than the games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>Was there a particular shot or set piece that made you really feel like, \u201cOh yeah, this is the movie I want to make and what I want audiences to see\u201d?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER: <\/strong>The Jump Street sequence that\u2019s in the trailer where he\u2019s running down the street and these zombies are leaping off the buildings while things are exploding all around him \u2014 we did it practically and it was super intense. I was really proud of what we did there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>ABRAMS:<\/strong> That one for me too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER: <\/strong>But then, there\u2019s also the first half hour. It\u2019s short like one big long scene in a way that I think works so well. Then the last 30 seconds of the movie to me are so\u2014I\u2019m very proud of the last 30 seconds. So when I watch that, when the movie ends, I\u2019m always really happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong>Resident Evil<em> is known for resource management and making impossible choices. Were there any filmmaking choices that mirrored this dynamic?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER: <\/strong>Well, resource management is every movie ever made. We have almost enough to do what we want. How do we make it work? So yeah, every scene, you\u2019re kind of like, \u201cHow is this possible?\u201d But impossible choices, no. I mean, no, you kind of have to just decide what you\u2019re going to do and lock in and make it happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>In bringing this game to life, were there any moments for you as an actor that really made you break a sweat?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>ABRAMS: <\/strong>We were doing a lot of camera work. It was a real dance with the camera. James [Van Der Reyden], our camera operator, had to be really precise, and I had to be really precise to his shots and come around to the camera at the same time. It was about forming a language.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER:<\/strong> Yeah. The reason for that is because in the video games, you\u2019re following your avatar [because it\u2019s a third-person game], so when you look left the camera swings left, and when you look right the camera swings to look right. I wanted to do that also with the movie, which means Austin and James have to be in lockstep. When he goes up the stairs, we look at the stairs, in the kitchen, we look at the kitchen and then back to another thing. So that was fun to dial in, and I think it works well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>DEADLINE:<\/strong> <strong><em>Are there any easter egg references that you\u2019re especially excited for longtime fans to see come to life? I know in the trailer there were some herbs and a typewriter\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<strong>CREGGER:<\/strong> Yes, there\u2019s a lot of objects directly from the game, like the ones you mentioned. And locks and padlocks play a big role in the movie. He\u2019s constantly getting stopped by locks, which is a thing in the games. I think that\u2019s the thing that fans are going to recognize beyond overt one for one references, is the flow of the movie is the same as the flow of the game. You\u2019re moving from one set piece to set piece. And each set piece contains its own unique threat. And I think that\u2019s what the games do well. It\u2019s a naturally cinematic rhythm. So it was fun to port the DNA of the games in terms of their story, pacing and into the movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It may be \u201cno sweat\u201d for Austin Abrams\u2019 character Bryan in the latest trailer for Resident Evil, but for writer-director and horror aficionado Zach Cregger, his upcoming adaptation is all blood, all guts and all gory.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Co-written with Shay Hatten, Sony\u2019s Resident Evil follows Bryan, a medical courier tasked with delivering an important package to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Resident-Evil-2026.jpg?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}