New Resident Evil (2026) Trailer - Did They Finally Get It Right?

[00:00:01]The new Resident Evil is dropping in just 4 months. So, Sony just released the first teaser for the project. Along with it, the director of the film gave a major interview, dropping some seriously interesting details. Is the movie canon?

[00:00:12]Which games inspired it? And which familiar characters besides Baron Harkonnen are going to show up? Let us talk about all of this over the next few minutes. Let us start with a little context to understand why the new Resident Evil is getting so much hype right now. First of all, this is a legendary gaming franchise that pretty much everyone has heard of, even if they are not into gaming. By the way, it turned [music] 30 this year. So, the release of the new movie is basically an attempt to reboot the series on the big screen. Second, Resident Evil starring Milla Jovovich already adapted the games and did it so successfully that five more sequels followed. And while gamers were not exactly thrilled with how loosely it handled the source material and characters, general audiences flocked to the theaters. Personally, we will add that the first [music] two movies at least captured some of the atmosphere of the games, but starting with the third one, it is just pure chaos. Though, let us be real, we watched every single one of them. And third, the new [music] Resident Evil will be directed by Zach Cregger who made the well-known films The Weapons and Barbarian. He is actually a great choice [music] because he has a really unique vision for his projects. Right now, Cregger is easily one of the most interesting directors out there who is not afraid [music] to experiment. And more importantly, he pulls it off. These three reasons gave the [music] new Resident Evil a ton of attention even before its release. The new teaser added fuel to the fire because, on one hand, it showed a terrifyingly immersive vibe, but on the other, it introduced creative changes that did not sit well with everyone. To put things in perspective, this is already the eighth adaptation of the cult franchise. Aside from the film starring Jovovich, 5 years ago we got Resident Evil Welcome to Raccoon City, which featured almost all the characters from the games. However, >> [music] >> it bombed at the box office and got heavily criticized, for example, for casting Leon [music] as Indian. And even though the actor Avan Jogia is Canadian, it did not help the film at all. We are not counting the animated projects since they [music] exist in their own universe, come out consistently every 5 years, and heavily feature the game characters. However, the new Resident Evil will not feature any familiar faces, and we will be introduced to an entirely new group of people. Right now, the movie looks like a mix of the games and the unique style of Zack Snyder. The teaser shows a medical courier delivering organs. Late at night, he arrives [music] in Raccoon City, where he encounters an unknown outbreak. In an interview, the director noted that the events of the movie take place in the same timeline as the events of the game Resident Evil 2. As a reminder, the events of the second game unfold in Raccoon [music] City when the Tyrant virus breaks out, and the city is slowly overrun by zombies and monsters. The original game features two main characters, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, who travels to the city to find her brother. But on screen, we are going to [music] see a parallel storyline unfolding on the other side of town. This way, the movie expands the universe while keeping the spirit of the game series. Cregar also mentioned that he did not want to just adapt the games directly because they are already very cinematic on their own. What grabbed him the most was the feeling of the main character being almost completely alone, trying to survive in the middle of chaos. That is exactly the experience he tried to bring to the screen. Because of that, we will be watching a single protagonist for most of the runtime. The director specifically highlighted the constant tension and scarce resources that define the gameplay experience.

[00:03:28]This will also be a big part of the movie with the atmosphere of isolation and vulnerability recreating those classic gaming vibes. On top of the story taking place during the events of the second game, the film will also include some original elements from the fourth installment. The director explained that he chose this because it is the game he played the most. But we should clarify that he meant this in terms of Easter eggs and references, not direct plot points. The events of Resident [music] Evil 4 take place in Spain and focus on Leon as he searches for the daughter of the president.

[00:03:58]There, he faces a sinister cult.

[00:04:00]Whereas, the events of the second game, just like the movie, are set right in the [music] middle of the outbreak in Raccoon City. So, we are definitely talking about minor elements here. Along those lines, Cregger mentioned healing items, weapon upgrades, and inventory management. Overall, the interview gives the impression that the director is going to pay proper tribute to the games he spent so much time playing. For instance, in the teaser, the camera follows the protagonist as if we are actually in the game. You can see both pros and cons in the approach of Zach Cregger. Take the television series The Last of Us, which despite some creative freedom from the writers, adapted the games very faithfully. The core plot was not really changed, and the main characters stayed the same. This paid off big time as the show became a massive hit, though it mostly blew the minds of people who had never played the game. On the other hand, there is another example. The television series Fallout took a completely different path. It took new characters and put them into the existing canon. This allowed the creators to tell their own story without facing backlash over miscasting or straying from the plot.

[00:05:02]Cregger went with his second option, but we will have to wait until the release to see how it turns out. Still, despite the generally positive hype, the teaser has already faced some criticism. First, for the lack of game characters, but the director has already addressed this. So, we just have to accept that we will not be seeing any familiar faces. Second, there are questions about a [music] few details that popped up in the teaser. If the story is happening parallel to the second game, the year should be 1998.

[00:05:28]Yet, the main character is holding a smartphone, using it as a flashlight in dark corners. Sure, there is a chance that the film of Zach Cregger actually takes place during the outbreak in Raccoon City, [music] but in that case, the overall story is shifted forward by almost 30 years. This suggests the creators want to launch a separate cinematic [music] universe, and if the project of Zach Cregger takes off, they can adapt the game with a modern update.

[00:05:52]Another controversial point is the character we see in the sewers. With all due respect to the director, he really does look a lot like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from Dune. [music] Seriously, could they not come up with a design that did not feel like a direct reference to the adaptation of Denis Villeneuve? A lot of people also noticed that it is snowing heavily outside, which means the season in the movie is different from the game, and little details like that can ruin the initial impression. Not to mention they do not match the game. At the same time, the teaser is packed with other cool details that show the creators [music] really get the source material. For example, when Brian tried to use a landline, the first number he dials is 911. The call does not go through, but on his second try, he manages to reach his girlfriend. The obvious takeaway is that city services have already been disconnected, but you can still make a call to a private number outside the city. The director also mentioned that switching from one weapon to another in the games was one of his favorite parts.

[00:06:46]In the teaser, Brian starts out running with a handgun, then finds a shotgun, and after that, an Uzi. We also see him quickly rummaging [music] through drawers looking for supplies, which was essential for survival in the games. The moment where the main character tries to grab keys off a dead body is a direct nod to the games, since key hunting was a huge part of the gameplay, and more often than not, you actually had to loot them from corpses. By the way, going back to Baron Harkonnen in the sewer, this character was actually not inspired by Dune at all, but by the judge from the novel Blood Meridian. Zach Cregger talked about this himself in an interview. In the book, he was the embodiment of evil and chaos, described as a massive hairless figure. He will probably be the main villain in the movie and will keep threatening our protagonist. And any similarities to Dune are, as they say, purely coincidental. We got a really memorable shot from the scene in the doorway.

[00:07:37]Right now, it is unclear what this creature actually is, because it was never in the games. The director created it specifically [music] for the movie, but he also hinted that its appearance might not be limited to just one project. Overall, this fits right into the canon, since [music] the franchise has tons of different biological weapons, so its mutation possibilities are endless. By the way, some journalists who were allowed on set for a single day noted that we are going to see some truly disgusting creatures.

[00:08:03]What shows up in the doorway could very well be one of them. At the same time, we see classic zombies in several scenes of the teaser. However, the movie is not going to focus too much on them. In the interview, they talked about three sequences [music] where zombies pose a truly serious threat. We have already seen two of them in the teaser, specifically the scenes in the hospital with bodies falling from the roof. So, we have to keep in mind that the new Resident Evil is not your typical [music] zombie movie. Perhaps the biggest question is what Brian has in his bag. He is running with it [music] in almost every scene, even as falling zombies are exploding all around him. On top of that, the entire [music] movie is structured as a continuous journey from point A to point B. Seeing everything that is going down, would anyone in their right mind keep risking their life just to deliver an organ? So, it is logical to assume that there is something crucial to the plot in that bag, which will keep us guessing until the very end. Either way, the teaser [music] leaves a pretty good impression.

[00:08:58]If this were a completely stand-alone project and not a Resident Evil movie, we could confidently say this is classic Cregger. However, the title carries a certain weight, and more importantly, the high expectations of a massive fan base. Because of that, the production team has a tough job ahead to appeal to new audiences without disappointing the gamers. Resident Evil by Zach Cregger will be released on September 18th, 2026.

[00:09:22]Naturally, they will release a story trailer and more promotional materials before then, so we will have plenty to talk about. By that time, we might even get some clarity on whether the movie is canon or if it is strictly an auteur film. For now, let us Let us in the comments what you think of the new [music] Resident Evil. How do you feel about the fresh take of the director on the franchise? And do you think the project will be a hit despite all the changes? That is all we have for today.

[00:09:46]See you in the next video very soon.