Resident Evil has surpassed $400 million at the global box office and earned strong review scores, but the film has faced criticism from longtime fans of the game series. Their main objection is that the movie does not use storylines or characters from the source material.
Director Zach Cregger said that was intentional. Rather than adapt an existing game storyline, he created an original story set in the Resident Evil universe. Speaking on The Town, Cregger said he became frustrated by the discussion surrounding the film because much of it focused on what the movie was not, rather than on the film itself.
According to Cregger, the debate among hardcore fans centered on the idea that the movie failed to meet the standards associated with the games. He noted that he had never claimed he was trying to make that kind of adaptation. Cregger also said he remains proud of the film, while admitting that he should have better anticipated the reaction from the gaming community.
“I should have understood that that was going to be the case,” Cregger said regarding the backlash. He had previously described himself as naive for believing players would readily embrace his approach to the franchise.
Cregger has also reconsidered his earlier statement that he would never direct another franchise film. He now takes a “never say never” position. Reflecting on his career after Barbarian and Weapons, he said he feels he has already achieved a great deal and can approach each new project as though it might be his last. His priority, he explained, is to give every film his full effort regardless of its eventual financial performance.
His next directorial project is The Flood, a deep-space science-fiction film starring Jennifer Lawrence. Cregger said it is his largest-budget movie to date, surpassing Resident Evil, whose reported production budget was $75 million before marketing costs. He also said he sees advantages in working with smaller budgets, since financial limits can force filmmakers to be more inventive.
Resident Evil is produced by Constantin Film, which has held the rights since acquiring them in the 1990s. The studio had planned to pause the film series after the poor performance of Welcome to Raccoon City, but moved forward after Cregger presented his concept. Alongside The Flood, Cregger is producing Aunt Gladys, a spin-off connected to Weapons.
Sources: GameSpot.