Sony Pictures Lands Rights to Zach Cregger’s Upcoming Resident Evil Reboot

Zach Cregger’s upcoming live-action reboot of Resident Evil has been picked up by Sony Pictures, per The Hollywood Reporter. The Barbarian filmmaker is currently attached to write and direct the adaptation of the popular video game franchise, which is currently slated for a September 2026 release.

Sony label Screen Games previously released the other live-action Resident Evil films, starting with the 2002 feature directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich. The new reboot reportedly had its rights up for grabs starting in January, with Sony winning the bidding war under the Columbia Pictures banner, allowing for a larger budget.

Constantin Film, which has also held the screen rights to the franchise going back to the late 1990s and produced the other films will also produce Cregger’s reboot, along with PlayStation Productions. Shay Hatten (Joh Wick: Chapter 4, Army of the Dead) is co-writing the script with Cregger. THR notes that Cregger’s involvement is what ignited bidders for the new reboot.

Cregger’s next film, the ensemble piece Weapons, is due out from Warner’s New Line label in January 2026. Resident Evil is set to be his next project, and Sony hopes to be shooting the film by “next summer.” The film will have to start shooting relatively soon if they hope to meet the reported Sept. 18 2026 release date.

The last live-action Resident Evil movie was Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, released in 2021. The film was a commercial and critical flop, grossing only $17 million domestically and only $41 million worldwide off of a $25 million budget.

Cregger’s planned reboot was previously described as a “revamp” that will return the film to its horror roots and be more faithful to the original games.