Production
Development
Original plans (2021–2024)
Following the release of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in November 2021, writer and director Johannes Roberts stated that if a sequel were to be developed, he would like to adapt the story from Resident Evil – Code: Veronica —referenced in the film with an appearance of the Ashford Twins [1] [2] —and then Resident Evil 4 . He also expressed interest in adapting Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village in the future. [3]
Robbie Amell stated he hoped to return as Chris in a sequel that included his boulder-punching scene from Resident Evil 5 . [4] By June 2022, Tom Hopper confirmed Sony and Constantin Film were pleased with the film's success on video-on-demand and said he hoped to play Albert Wesker again. [5]
By October 2022, the film was one of several projects considered by executive producer Martin Moszkowicz to be in development alongside another television series which would have replaced Netflix's series cancelled two months prior, though the exact details were not given, and Moszkowicz was skeptical of films being released for theaters if not projected to be successful. [6]
According to Jeff Sneider, the studio was looking at Zach Cregger to direct the new film. [7] [8]
Zach Cregger's involvement (2024–present)
In January 2025, it was announced that Cregger would co-write and direct a new Resident Evil film, which would serve as a reboot of the film series. Film rights holder Constantin Film co-financed and produced, alongside PlayStation Productions and Vertigo Entertainment. A bidding war between four major studios ensued for the film's distribution rights, including Warner Bros. Pictures and Netflix. [9] In March 2025, it was revealed that Sony Pictures, who had distributed the previous live action films under their Screen Gems label, had won the bidding war, with Columbia Pictures serving as the film's new distributor. [10] In August 2025, Cregger revealed that the film would be an original story set in the Resident Evil universe and wouldn't feature any characters from the games, saying "I'm not going to tell Leon's story, because Leon's story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that". [11]
In September 2025, Cregger stated that he had never seen any of the previous Resident Evil films and that the upcoming film will be more closely based on the video game series, particularly Resident Evil 2 , Resident Evil 3: Nemesis , and Resident Evil 4 . [12]
Casting
In March 2025, Austin Abrams was in talks to star in the film. [13] In July 2025, Abrams was confirmed to be starring in the film. [14] In September 2025, Paul Walter Hauser joined the cast. [15] In October, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Johnno Wilson joined the cast. [16]
Filming
Principal photography began on October 10, 2025 in Prague, with Dariusz Wolski serving as cinematographer. [16] [17] [13] [18]
