Key Takeaways

• Zach Cregger is directing the new Resident Evil film, aiming to revitalize the franchise.
• Paul Walter Hauser and Austin Abrams are confirmed to star in the adaptation.
• Constantin Film is producing the project, with involvement from multiple production companies.
• The film’s logline hints at a thrilling plot involving a delivery gone wrong in Raccoon City.

After coming out of the gate swinging with his surprise 2022 horror smash Barbarian and exceeding expectations in many circles with this year’s Weapons, filmmaker Zach Cregger will turn to an established and legendary franchise for his next outing, Resident Evil. Anticipation for Cregger’s adaptation of Capcom’s groundbreaking horror video game series is through the roof, as past attempts to bring the franchise to life in live-action haven’t exactly met fans’ desires. According to Deadline, Paul Walter Hauser (The Naked Gun, Cobra Kai, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) will join Austin Abrams (Weapons, Chemical Hearts, Wolfs) for Cregger’s next horror film.

Zach Cregger directs Resident Evil from a screenplay by Shay Hatten. Constantin Film is producing and co-financing the film. Constantin’s Robert Kulzer, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee, and Miri Yoon, and PlayStation Productions are also producing. Nicole Brown will be overseeing the project for Sony’s Columbia Pictures.

Cregger provided the following statement earlier this year: “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.” Kulzer added, “The world of Resident Evil experienced through Zach’s vision is an irresistible feat.” And Sanford Panitch, President of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, said: “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.”

Here’s the supposed logline: Bryan, a laid-back organ courier, is sent on a late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital. En route through a snowy mountain road, he accidentally hits a strange woman with his car. She survives—but something is very wrong. As he tries to help, Bryan stumbles into a full-blown outbreak involving horrifying tentacle-based mutations and bio-engineered monstrosities.

Cregger said, “It’s gonna be not like Barbarian and Weapons. It’s going to be a rock ’em, sock ’em… it’s for me to play. And turn my brain off and just make an… Evil Dead II… get crazy with the camera. … It’s a weird, fun, wild story. This movie follows a person from point A to point B. It’s like a real time journey, where you just go deeper and deeper into the depths of Hell.”

You can catch Paul Walter Hauser in Scott Cooper’s upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, coming to theaters on October 14, 2025. Hauser plays guitar tech Mike Batlan in the film, with early buzz saying the film is Oscar-worthy.