The director of the upcoming Resident Evil movie has explained why he chose not to include characters from the game series, such as Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, or Jill Valentine.
In the latest issue of Empire magazine (via GamesRadar), director Zach Cregger says he is committed to keeping his story “self-contained.” Despite the film taking place during the Raccoon City incident, it won’t intersect with notable characters or events from the games.
“To try and shoehorn in any of those characters would feel inorganic to this self-contained story,” he said. “I have to put the story first and foremost.”
Cregger explained how the movie’s protagonist, Bryan (played by Austin Abrams), has “no combat skills whatsoever” and is “completely inept at survival.”
“The concept here is that we’re following an idiot. Not that he’s stupid, but he’s not your typical game character,” he said.
Empire also shared more snippets from the interview, wherein Cregger discussed how he approached the Resident Evil rights holders to make the film, rather than the other way around.
“They were kind enough to hear me out and let me run with it. It’s really a Zach Cregger movie that just happens to be a Resident Evil movie.”
Despite straying away from canon, the director said that the film is faithful to the games in terms of tone and pacing.
“It feels like one gigantic sequence. Things pop off about five minutes in and it basically stays like that until the end,” Cregger said.
“What I love about the games is that you move from set-piece to set-piece. Every location has a unique challenge. So again, I’m borrowing from the games directly in that rhythm, where you’re just running through a gauntlet.”
A teaser for Resident Evil was released in April, showing Bryan searching a vacant house for supplies before having a series of intense encounters with the infected.
Zach Cregger has made a name for himself in the horror genre in recent years, having directed the critically acclaimed Barbarian and Weapons.
Resident Evil will be released in theatres on September 18th. It is a reboot of the film series co-written by Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten, starring Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser.
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Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
