Resident Evil is undeniably one of the most influential franchises in the gaming industry. Though it's experienced some rough patches over the years, most of the series' mainline installments, such as Resident Evil 2 and 4, have received widespread critical acclaim. Since its debut, the Resident Evil franchise has inspired countless other games, from Gears of War all the way to The Last of Us. Even in the modern day, the series is still going strong, with 2021's Resident Evil Village and 2023's Resident Evil 4 Remake both being lauded as some of the best games of their respective years.
In the movie industry, however, the Resident Evil brand isn't nearly as illustrious. Capcom's long-running franchise has been adapted into countless live-action films and animated movies, most of which have received less-than-stellar reception, to say the least. A Resident Evil TV show was even produced by Netflix in 2022, but was canceled just a few months after it came out. In spite of all these missteps, a new Resident Evil feature film is in the works, and, although it does sound fairly promising, some companies' involvement in the project could be a red flag to many fans.
Resident Evil: The Argument For a Total Franchise Reboot
Although Resident Evil is in for the long haul, its current iteration is showing its age, and the franchise could use a fresh lease on life.
Sony and Constantin Film Being Involved With the New Resident Evil Movie Could Be Cause for Worry
Zach Cregger is Directing a New Resident Evil Movie That's Scheduled to Release in 2026
Earlier this week, Capcom announced that a new movie based on the Resident Evil series was officially in pre-production and would be released on September 18, 2026. This film, which currently doesn't have a name, is going to serve as a reboot of the Resident Evil film franchise and is apparently going to "harken back" to the horror roots of the original Resident Evil games. It is being directed by Zach Cregger, the director of the 2022 horror movie Barbarian and the producer of the 2025 sci-fi dark comedy film Companion. Cregger's screenplay for the film was co-written by Shay Hatten, an up-and-coming screenwriter who penned the script for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Army of the Dead.
Zach Cregger's recent films have received positive reviews from critics, which bodes well for his upcoming Resident Evil movie. However, there is one point of concern with this film: Sony and Constantin Film are both involved in it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony recently won a bidding war against Warner Bros. And Netflix, who were both eyeing the rights to this movie. The fact that it and Constantin Film are working on this new film isn't a good sign, because they produced the last seven live-action Resident Evil movies, all of which have been critically panned.
Despite not being based on a Sony-owned IP, Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil movie is being co-produced by PlayStation Productions, the movie division of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Sony's Resident Evil Movies Have Been Commercially Successful, But Have Flopped Critically
The Resident Evil movies, which have largely been directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and have starred his wife, Milla Jovovich, have very little in common with the games they're based on. In spite of their poor reception and unfaithfulness to their source material, they have consistently performed well at the box office. In fact, the film series as a whole has grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, making it the most successful zombie film franchise of all time. It's no wonder, then, that Sony and Constantin Film were so willing to fund another Resident Evil movie, even if it ends up being derided by fans.
Of course, Sony and Constantin Film's involvement in Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film doesn't necessarily mean that it will be bad. However, since these two companies evidently don't care too much about the quality of the Resident Evil movies they produce, this matter is worth discussing. So long as a film has a good chance of doing well at the box office, Sony and Constantin Film seemingly have no qualms about putting money behind it. Because of this, it's best to approach this new Resident Evil movie with caution. Even though the director behind the film has a promising track record, it could end up being another dud in terms of quality, just like most of the other Resident Evil movies before it.
