Resident Evil director Zach Cregger has seen the calls for his movie to stick closer to the video games, but he's got a few good reasons for why he's choosing to tell his own story.

The Weapons and Barbarian mastermind commented on the "divided" response to his first Resident Evil movie teaser during a conversation with Obsession director and fellow comedian-turned-horror filmmaker Curry Barker for Interview Magazine. He confirmed that, yes, he has seen fans complaining about the lack of familiar elements in his live-action version of Raccoon City, but he's confident that telling an original tale was the right choice.

"I feel great about it," Cregger said when Barker asked for his feelings on the Resident Evil movie. "I really like the movie a lot. It’s been a wild week since the teaser came out to see the divided reaction online. There’s so many people that clearly really want the video game, meaning the characters and story from the video game, and anything different than that is really not welcomed. I didn’t realize how passionate some people were about that."

For better or worse, the first Resident Evil movie teaser knocked gamers off their feet when it showed glimpses of a new character running through the zombie-infested streets of a strangely snowy Raccoon City late last month. There was no Leon Kennedy, Nemesis, or Lickers to be found, with the trailer instead revealing new monstrosities and a handful of subtle references to the Capcom games it's based on.

Many didn't need a trailer to trust Cregger with the Resident Evil name after he cemented himself as a fresh voice in the horror space with Barbarian in 2022 and Weapons in 2025, but others weren't so convinced. When the teaser showed a story that was a bit more original than many expected, some of the more skeptical viewers took to social media to share their concerns.

Cregger has seen those concerns, but he doesn't regret his decision to explore a world plagued by the T-Virus from a new perspective. In fact, not only does he think he wouldn't enjoy working on a movie that leans too hard on pre-existing characters and stories, he's not sure even some of the harshest critics would enjoy it, either.

"But if I did that I don’t think I’d be creatively fulfilled, and I don’t even think they would enjoy it," Cregger continued. "If I just did the story of the games, I think the most diehard fans would be bummed. So I don’t know what to do about it."

Cregger's Resident Evil movie will either fail or succeed at meeting expectations when it creeps into theaters September 18, 2026. Until then, you can read why the series' unofficial loremaster is calling for fans to be patient.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).