Resident Evil is already a long-running film franchise, but a new reboot is coming next year. Variety is reporting that Zach Cregger’s reboot of the franchise, which is adapted from a popular video game series of the same name, will be released in theaters on Sept. 18, 2026.
Cregger co-wrote the script and will direct the project, with a cast yet to be announced. After rising to prominence with the comedy video “Whitest Kids You Know,” Cregger went on to direct 2022’s Barbarian, which received widespread acclaim. He also produced the 2025 horror film Companion and wrote and directed the January 2026 movie Weapons, which stars Josh Brolin and Julia Garner.
The original Resident Evil franchise starred Milla Jovovich and launched in 2002. The franchise concluded 15 years and six films later with The Final Chapter and has grossed more than $1.2 billion. The first game was released for PlayStation in 1994.
Given the brand recognition around the franchise, this new chapter will be eagerly anticipated, although there will undoubtedly be people who are apprehensive about a new take on the franchise.
Cregger’s success with previous projects, though, suggests that he has the skills necessary to adapt this franchise successfully. There’s been no discussion about whether this would become an ongoing franchise, and Cregger certainly has a lot of irons in the fire.
Barbarian was one of the wildest, most exciting horror movies of the 2020s. The originality of the script was part of what made it so exciting, and it’s unclear whether Resident Evil will have that same inventiveness, or will wind up being something far more straightforward.
