In the world of zombie stories, Resident Evil has more than established itself as the big winner.  Box office billions aside, after the big-budget fun zombie flick Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (reviewed here) and the anime Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, the most successful video game tie-in franchise ever (as well as the highest grossing horror series and zombie film series) returned with an even more polished Netflix live-action television series (reviewed here).  The next reboot following Raccoon City is simply named Resident Evil.  Directed by Zach Cregger, the first preview looks like a preview for any horror movie in any franchise.  So it’s not clear yet what lies ahead, except that the movie is going back to the roots of the series, pulling from the second, third and fourth video game concepts.  The movie will star Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser.  It looks like Evil Dead, The Living Dead, The Walking Dead, or 28 Days Later.  

Check out the first trailer for the next reboot of Resident Evil: 

Milla Jovovich dominated the movie franchise as badass superheroine Alice, from 2002’s first film through five sequels–Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)–the 21st century version of Ellen Ripley and Sarah Conner.  The tie-in to the Japanese survival/horror-themed video game Biohazard (renamed for the U.S. market) is a staple in the action movie genre–not only one of the world’s bestselling game series since arriving in 1996, it’s the world’s most successful video game tie-in movie franchise ever.

Look for Resident Evil to come to theaters from Sony Pictures Entertainment by summer’s end, slated for September 18, 2026.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg