Fans have been waiting for many years to see a live-action adaptation of "Resident Evil" that is not frivolous and loyal to the original work, but it seems that director Zach Cregger is not likely to be the one who will satisfy them.
The director who has directed "Barbarians" and "Arms" is undoubtedly the best candidate to direct the live-action remake of Capcom's survival horror series "Resident Evil". His recent movies have already felt like love letters to games, so when it was officially announced that he would take over the new movie, many people thought - or hoped - that he would bring the series back to a track familiar to veteran players. After all, previous adaptations of "Resident Evil" have always been patchwork, and fans want a faithfully restored version of the story, preferably with classic characters such as Jill Valentine and Leon S. Kennedy on the screen, and Leon is even more popular.
However, Craig made it clear that although his film is set in the world of "Resident Evil", it will tell a completely new story.
He said in an interview with Inverse: "First of all, this will not violate the rules of the game. I am a die-hard fan of the game, so the story I tell is both a love letter to the game and also follows the rules of the game."
Craig won't be retelling any stories from the series, though.
Craig explained: "Although it will be consistent with the setting of Resident Evil, I will not do Leon's story without telling the same story, because Leon's story is already in the game and (fans) can play the game."
New 'Resident Evil' movie won't tell Leon's story
Craig's comments are consistent with recent news from industry insiders that his new film will feature original characters, somewhat like Milla Jovovich's positioning in the earlier film series. This is obviously a bad sign for those viewers who are looking forward to a live-action version of Leon's adventure and hope to be closer to the original work than 2021's "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City".
Craig is confident in his direction, but the route he's following is exactly the same as the old "Resident Evil" movies from the 2000s, which may not reassure longtime fans. Today's game adaptation trend is more about telling original stories rather than recreating plots one-to-one. Although this approach may attract new audiences, it can also easily disappoint old players.
Especially at a time when HBO's "The Last of Us" has won word-of-mouth and ratings with its almost intact plot, this idea of deliberately avoiding "literal translation" adaptation seems a bit abnormal. Whether the new "Resident Evil" can ultimately bring surprises remains to be verified, but considering the series' history of overturning on the big screen, fans may prefer not to be too "surprised" this time.