Zach Cregger returns with a gory new take on Resident Evil. What begins as a usual delivery for medical courier Bryan soon spirals into a bloody fight for survival. Although the trailer does not reveal much about the plot, it teases terrifying new creatures and plenty of spine-chilling moments throughout the film. 

For Cregger, the real mission was making sure the movie stayed true to the Resident Evil games. While the film introduces several changes, the director has defended his vision. And here is what he had to say about the creative changes and how he balanced honoring the games with telling something new.

During an interview with Deadline, Zach Cregger was asked what he considered the most crucial element of the Resident Evil franchise that he wanted to include in the film. For the director, exploring the T-virus was essential. As seen in the trailer, the film features several terrifying mutated creatures, which is perhaps an exploration of that aspect. He also spoke about the movie's setting, which he wanted to be in Raccoon City.

"First, you have the source of all the chaos of the T-virus, which is the thing that was developed by the Umbrella corporation. If you don’t do that, for me, it’s not Resident Evil," he said, as per Deadline.

And the most important aspect for Cregger that he mentioned in the interview, was the film's tone. Unlike many previous Resident Evil movies, which leaned heavily into action, his version embraces survival horror. The protagonist, Bryan, is not portrayed as a highly trained person or someone effortlessly shooting down zombies with perfect aim. Instead, he is an ordinary man forced into a terrifying fight for survival, and that certainly raises the stakes. While these changes sparked intense debate after the trailer's release, Cregger has continued to defend his approach.

"I want to celebrate those games, and I want to make something that other people who love the games like me are going to recognize as Resident Evil. But I certainly don’t think I’m going to do a better job of representing someone like Leon than the games," he further added.

Both the director and the lead actor also shared new details about Bryan's character in the film.

Bryan's personal struggles are a crucial element in his journey in Resident Evil. As actor Austin Abrams, who played the character, explained, Bryan is dealing with relationship problems before he is suddenly forced into a fight for survival. He believes the outbreak makes Bryan reassess the fears and challenges he faces in his everyday life.

"And he feels like he’s in his own little horror movie, and then all of a sudden, a real horror movie interrupts him and it puts all of that into perspective," Zach Cregger said.

Director Zach Cregger described Bryan as a young man who is only beginning his adult life, with a job but no established career. He also revealed that Bryan's relationship is in crisis after learning his girlfriend is pregnant. However, as seen, his personal fears are quickly overshadowed when a real-life horror pushes him further. While there are indeed a few changes such as this, the movie also seemingly stays true to several game elements, as Cregger said. 

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What do you think about Cregger's opinion? Let us know in the comments.