The new Resident Evil movie finally looks like it gets horror right

Columbia Pictures and Constantin Film have released the first full trailer for the new Resident Evil film, directed by Zach Cregger and set for a global theatrical release on September 18, 2026. With an $80 million budget and a story built from scratch, this is the franchise's most deliberate cinematic reset since the Paul W.S. Anderson originals.

The pitch

Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier who agrees to deliver a container of biological material to a Raccoon City hospital. He promises his girlfriend he'll be back soon. He won't be. The trailer lays out the setup clearly: one bad delivery, one city-wide zombie outbreak, one man trying to survive it. Cregger — whose horror credentials come from Barbarian (2022) and Weapons (2025) — shot the film in Prague with a heavy emphasis on practical effects rather than CGI-heavy spectacle.

The story is original, not a direct adaptation of any game. It runs parallel to the Resident Evil 2 timeline but deliberately sidesteps Leon S. Kennedy and the franchise's other recognizable heroes. That's a conscious choice: Cregger wants survival horror that works on its own terms, not nostalgia bait.

Why this one might land differently

The franchise track record at the cinema is patchy. The 2021 reboot Welcome to Raccoon City pulled just $42 million globally, well below the $103 million the 2002 Anderson original managed. Netflix's 2022 series drew mixed reviews. Both leaned hard on existing lore and fan service.

Cregger's approach is the opposite. By anchoring the film in an everyday character with no special training and no plot armor from the games, the horror has somewhere to go. The practical effects strategy — a deliberate callback to the genre's pre-CGI era — also signals a film aimed at adult horror audiences rather than franchise completists.

Deadline reports the film was a major presence at Comic-Con's Hall H, where Cregger's pedigree gave it genuine prestige-horror standing. In the UK, Flicks UK confirms ODEON and major cinema chains are already accepting pre-bookings ahead of the September date. A streaming platform for the post-theatrical window has not yet been announced.