Sony Pictures Entertainment has released the first trailer for Resident Evil, offering a fresh take on the popular survival horror franchise based on Capcom’s famous video games. The new film is directed by Zach Cregger, known for Weapons and Barbarian. He also co wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten. While the movie introduces a new story and characters, it still draws inspiration from the original games that have become a major part of gaming history.
The trailer follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, who works as a medical courier. During an emergency delivery, Bryan unexpectedly comes face to face with a zombie. What begins as a routine job quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival as chaos spreads around him. As he tries to stay alive, the world around him starts falling apart, forcing him to make life saving decisions at every step.
The official logline says, “(Bryan) finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.” The film also stars Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser in important roles.
One scene in the trailer is likely to stand out for longtime fans of the video game series. Bryan enters an abandoned house looking for safety and discovers an empty shotgun in the hallway. Later, he finds shotgun shells hidden inside a dresser. This small moment closely resembles the style of the original Resident Evil games, where players often searched old buildings for weapons, ammunition, and supplies needed to survive.
During CinemaCon 2026, director Zach Cregger spoke about his connection with the game series and explained how it influenced the movie. He said, “Over the last couple of decades, I have played a shit ton of Resident Evil. If you love the games, you will feel their influence everywhere in the movie.”
The Resident Evil franchise first began in the 1990s with Capcom’s video games and has since become one of the most successful horror series in gaming. The franchise recently expanded with Resident Evil Requiem. It has also enjoyed major success on the big screen, starting with the 2002 film starring Milla Jovovich. That series continued with several sequels, including Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Together, the films have earned more than $1 billion worldwide.
The new Resident Evil film is produced by Constantin Film and PlayStation Productions. It is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18, bringing a new chapter to one of the most well known horror franchises in both gaming and cinema.