Why Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Won’t Feature Any Legacy Characters

Since 1996, the uber-evil pharmaceutical conglomerate Umbrella Corporation has been making life a living hell for the good people of Raccoon City, unleashing the highly infectious T-Virus and turning ordinary citizens into flesh-eating zombies and mutated monstrosities that have been fueling nightmares for the better part of 30 years.

Over the decades, the Resident Evil franchise has spread well beyond the walls of Raccoon City, spawning dozens of video games across multiple generations of consoles and 11 feature films, including seven live-action installments and four animated movies. Along the way, it has become one of the biggest and most recognizable survival-horror franchises in the world.

Now, nearly three decades after players first stepped inside Spencer Mansion, Resident Evil is about to get a massive upgrade.

Director Zach Cregger, best known for his horror outings Weapons and Barbarian, is helming a new Resident Evil movie reboot set to hit theaters on September 18. The reimagining will take the long-running franchise in a fresh new direction after three decades of zombies, bioengineered monsters, corporate conspiracies, and puzzles galore, promising a whole new breed of scares for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Here is everything we know so far.

When will Resident Evil premiere?

Resident Evil will open on September 18, 2026, in theaters everywhere.

Who stars in Resident Evil?

The film stars Austin Abrams (who previously starred in Cregger’s Weapons), Zach Cherry, and Paul Walter Hauser.

What is Resident Evil about?

The film follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical delivery courier looking to make a little extra coin with an out-of-the-area delivery to Raccoon City during a heavy blizzard. During the run, he finds himself in a bit of a tight spot after an unexpected stop. Undead hijinks ensue.

According to the director, the story isn’t based on any game or story from the franchise, but instead, elements from the game.

“I wanted to construct a story that could live in the world of Resident Evil and be maybe on the periphery of the events of Resident Evil 2, where Raccoon City is having its big night, but tell another story that could be happening in parallel to that that really honors the vibe and the pacing that you get when you play the games,” Cregger told ScreenRant.

In Resident Evil 2, Raccoon City collapses as the T-virus spreads into a city-wide outbreak.

How is it different from past Resident Evil movies?

Cregger decided not to feature legacy characters like Leon S. Kennedy or Jill Valentine, stating their stories belong in the games. “Let me say this: this is not breaking the rules of the games,” Cregger explained to Inverse. “I am the biggest worshiper of the games, so I’m telling a story that is a love letter to the games and follows the rules of the games.”

“It is obedient to the lore of the games; it’s just a different story,” Cregger continues. “I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that.”

Instead, Cregger’s Resident Evil will take place within the lore of the games, but not within any of the franchise’s main events or using any of its main characters.

Is there a trailer?

Indeed there is. Check it out above.