The Resident Evil movie's connections (or lack thereof) to the beloved Capcom video game series have been much discussed. But even if Leon and co. won't be popping up, we know that the new movie will feature the Umbrella Corporation and the T-Virus, and it sounds like writer-director Zach Cregger is evolving the latter in some interesting ways.
Alongside your garden-variety zombies, there are fleeting glimpses of gnarlier creatures in the Resident Evil movie trailer, several of which appear to deviate from known mutations from the games. In the latest issue of SFX Magazine, Cregger reveals there is intention behind this, as the T-Virus doesn't work exactly the same way as the games.
“I don’t think they break the rules of the games, but you’ll see unique behavioural things about the way the T-virus works that the games don’t do,” Cregger says. “That’s something that I really enjoy. I think it’s cool.”
Cregger's keeping his cards close to his chest as he says “it’s sort of a spoiler” to reveal exactly what beastie he's talking about, so we don't know precisely what he's referring to here. But we do know it's not the multi-limbed monstrosity that Bryan comes across in a remote cabin, glimpsed in the trailer and on one of the movie's posters, which Cregger refers to as a "giant human tumbleweed."
“I used a lot of physical performers, like Cirque du Soleil people, to approximate it, so we could see how it would move and how it could stop and start and roll correctly,” Cregger says. “That was a really fun thing to research and study, and eventually bringing it to life was really, really satisfying.”
It's less than two weeks till Resident Evil hits screens, and if early tracking is any indication, the movie is set to be a big hit. Cregger recently revealed how Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7 inspired the movie in distinct ways. And, yes, he knows you're frustrated it's not about Leon, but he hopes fans will "feel seen" anyway.
Resident Evil arrives in theaters on September 18. For more, check out our guide to the best Resident Evil games, and keep up with other upcoming video game movies on the way.
