With just two films, “Barbarian” and this year’s “Weapons,” filmmaker Zach Cregger has become one of the most in-demand directors around.
Both critically acclaimed films have become box-office successes, as well as showing off the director’s penchant for nonlinear structure and narrative trickery.
Up next is something curious – a new film adaptation of the “Resident Evil” franchise – one that’s not a direct adaptation of the games. Instead, it’s said to be a return to the horror tone of those titles as opposed to the previous films and shows, which adopted a more action-centric approach.
Speaking on Deadline’s Crew Call podcast (via The Playlist) from Prague, where he’s in the midst of production, he reveals that the new film will employ a more straightforward approach than his last two:
“The movie I’m in Prague right now working on has no big twists. It’s not a narrative balancing act. There’s no… it is a pretty straightforward thing. It follows one character from point A to point B. That’s it. And it’s kind of refreshing, you know. I get to kind of just reset and just like play.”
That said, don’t expect an entirely traditional film approach. Cregger says a big reason he’s doing this, aside from his love for the games, is that he’s attempting to translate a game-style structure into a feature film:
“I’ve played the games religiously. I am intimately familiar with ‘Resident Evil’ as a game franchise. And I find it to be inherently cinematic. There’s something about the structure of those games and the pacing of those games that is so thrilling to me.
I’ve never seen a movie that really leans in to what those games offer. I love the slow creeping dread that these games naturally kind of exist in. The idea of being able to make a narrative film with the video game structure… I can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. It feels like this movie should have been made a really long time ago, so I’m kind of excited that I get to do it.”
Overall, he says he’s “feeling very excited about this”. He adds that they’re also still in the “deal-making process” for the “Weapons” spin-off film about Gladys, so he can’t talk much about it for now.
