EXCLUSIVE: Constantin’s Resident Evil franchise reboot, with Barbarian and Weapon filmmaker Zach Cregger directing, will stay at Sony.
Warner Bros was kicking the tires of this latest Cregger pic, but Sony isn’t letting this $1.2 billion-grossing franchise go.
A theatrical release date of September 18, 2026 has been set, which tells you how excited the studios are to get this latest rendition up on the screen. Cregger’s screenplay, which was co-written with Shay Hatten (Ballerina, John Wick: Chapter 3 & Chapter 4), is under wraps but apparently harkens back to the original Capcom game’s horror roots.
Constantin Film is producing and co-financing the film. Constantin’s Robert Kulzer, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee (Barbarian, Minecraft) and Miri Yoon (Woman of the Hour, Weapons) and PlayStation Productions are also producing.
“I’ve been a rabid fan of these games for decades, and to be able to bring this amazing title to life is a true honor,” Cregger told Deadline on Friday.
“The world of Resident Evil experienced through Zach’s vision is an irresistible feat,” beamed Kulzer.
Added Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group: “Zach is one of the most talented exciting new directors to come on the scene in many years. His brilliant approach in restarting and refreshing this legendary Sony franchise instantly makes this one of our most important releases in 2026.”
Nicole Brown will be overseeing the latest iteration of Resident Evil for Sony’s Columbia Pictures.
Sony Pictures released all previous Resident Evil films, including the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed Milla Jovovich titles as well as the 2021 version from director Johannes Roberts, Resident Evil: Racoon City. At $1.2 billion worldwide, Resident Evil is one of the highest-grossing video game feature franchises of all time, not far from the $1.36 billion made by Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s Super Mario Bros Movie and not far from the $1.2 billion made by the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy.
Cregger became one of the most sought-after horror filmmakers after his debut, Barbarian, received critical and audience acclaim when it was released in 2022. His next film is the anticipated Weapons, starring Josh Brolin and Julia Garner, opening via Warner Bros on MLK weekend 2026; this will give the director two pics in the 2026 calendar. The only other movie scheduled currently on the September 2026 date is an untitled Warner Bros event movie.
Cregger is repped by CAA, Artists First and Karl Austen. Shay is repped by Lee Stobby and lawyer Stephen Clark.
Deadline first told you that Cregger’s Weapons sold to New Line for an overall sum around $38 million, including the budget and the genre filmmaker getting $5 million to direct, and $10 million total when that total was added to his fees for scripting and producing alongside Vertigo’s Lee and Yoon, and J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules.
