- Primary Subject: Resident Evil (Zach Cregger Film Reboot)
- Key Update: Director Zach Cregger defended his choice to use an original protagonist and narrative rather than established game characters, asking fans to give his game-inspired survival horror approach a chance.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: September 10, 2026
- Quick Answer: Director Zach Cregger skipped game characters in his Resident Evil reboot to deliver a fresh survival horror story focused on classic franchise themes and atmosphere.
Resident Evil director Zach Cregger explains his decision to make the reboot an original story with an original lead without featuring any established characters from the Capcom game.
The movie has been facing criticism for following an original character’s story instead of focusing on the likes of Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, or Jill Valentine. But as Cregger has his own take on the tale, he now addresses these complaints.
Why Does Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil Have No Original Characters From the Game?
Sure, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil still features the horrifying viral outbreak triggered by a bioweapon known as the T-Virus, which the corrupt Umbrella Corporation engineered, based on Resident Evil 2.
However, instead of known characters from the iconic Japanese horror game series, it follows medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams) as he gets caught in the chaotic disaster while making a delivery in Raccoon City. So, why did he choose to take this path?
“I think I was naive,” he told IGN. “I thought fans of these games, like me, would be thrilled that somebody was coming along and turning Resident Evil into a survival horror movie.”
The filmmaker thought viewers would appreciate his take on the film instead of “waiting forever for Leon’s story.”
So, while he apologized for not taking that route, he defended his own take on Resident Evil.
“I’m sorry that’s not the story I’m bringing. I get it, I understand the frustration. I understand it so well because I haven’t seen the earlier [Resident Evil] movies, because they don’t look like the Resident Evil that I love,” he continued. “So how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude?”
Zach Cregger Asks Fans to Give His Take on Resident Evil a Chance
Zach Cregger has been open about his love for the Resident Evil franchise and has even played the games.
That said, fans are about to see some visual clues, like a scavenged box of Heavy Field shotgun shells from Resident Evil 4 and a typewriter, which is the game’s save-point ritual, added to the film.
There’s also a scene where Bryan lines up his weapons, mirroring the first-person aiming stance players use throughout the modern games.
His medical cargo is also tied to Umbrella Corp, a nod to the corporation’s history of burying secret research facilities beneath Raccoon City, while a sanitized underground lab and grotesque flesh creatures are also revealed.
With all these nods to the game – even without the original characters – Cregger hopes fans will give his take on Resident Evil a chance.
“My only hope is that they’ll see the movie regardless of their skepticism or their disappointment that I’m not telling some of the stories that the games tell so well, and they will feel seen when they do watch the movie, and they will recognize all of the love for the games that are in this movie, because it is there,” he said.
As he stressed that he didn’t use the franchise to get a budget, he revealed his real goal was to tell a “Resident Evil” story.
“I understand the resistance, I do, because I have it myself. It is coming from a true place of love,” he added.
Resident Evil premieres in theaters on September 18.
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