Zach Cregger, the director behind the recent box office hit adaptation of Resident Evil, has clarified his stance on future installments. While he has publicly sworn off working on "franchise" films again following the polarized reception of his movie, he remains eager to have a hand in where the story goes next. This position was highlighted during an appearance on The Town with Matthew Belloni, where Cregger addressed the possibility of producing multiple sequels without writing or directing them himself.
When asked if he would be comfortable with five Resident Evil movies being produced under his name without his direct creative control, Cregger responded that he would want some involvement. He noted that he cannot help but have ideas for the direction of what he terms a franchise. This sentiment aligns with previous comments he made to The Playlist in September, where he admitted to constantly thinking about other places the narrative could expand. Unlike his film Barbarian, which he feels is too foul and self-contained to warrant a sequel, Cregger believes the ending of his Resident Evil adaptation holds significant potential for further discussion and exploration.
Despite this interest, Cregger has expressed frustration regarding the discourse surrounding his film. He told IGN that the conversation often focused less on the movie itself and more on how well it adhered to the standards of the video game source material. Fans debated character usage and lore accuracy rather than engaging with the film as a standalone piece. Cregger admitted he was naive in expecting fans to be enthusiastic about his specific take on the Capcom property, yet he maintains that the situation is different from other projects and that he would still want to be attached to future adaptations in some capacity.
Sources: IGN.