Resident Evil director defends snow and modern setting: 'I took liberties to make a better movie'

Zach Cregger — the director behind Barbarian and Weapons — used his time at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 to address the growing criticism around his upcoming Resident Evil film, specifically the decision to set it in a snowy, modern-day Raccoon City rather than the rainy late-'90s backdrop fans know from the games.

Cregger was direct about the changes. "I take liberties," he told IGN. "It's not 1998. It takes place in modern times. I know that, during the events of Resident Evil 2, it's not snowing, and yet, in this movie, I thought it would be better for the story and for the visual — if it was snowy. It's going to be a better movie for it." He was equally clear that he isn't trying to adapt the games beat-for-beat. Leon, Claire, and the other iconic characters won't appear because, in his view, those characters already exist perfectly in the games — recasting them would only hurt the final product. Instead, the film keeps the essential pillars: the T-Virus, Umbrella Corporation, and Raccoon City itself.

Cregger has been vocal about his love for Resident Evil 2 and 4 throughout the film's development, and his pitch has always been a "love letter to the experience of playing a Resident Evil game" rather than a straight retelling. That means one character moving on foot from location to location, each with its own distinct threat, while managing resources, staying wounded, and never having quite enough ammo — the loop that defines classic RE gameplay. It's a structural approach to adaptation rather than a narrative one, and it's a more interesting argument than most video game movies bother to make.

The first trailer kept the hype largely intact, but the modern setting and visible iPhones drew immediate pushback from more skeptical corners of the fanbase. Cregger compared the situation to hearing a beloved book is being adapted and immediately hating the casting — a reaction he says he understands but is actively trying to move past. Whether the finished film wins those critics over remains to be seen, but at SDCC 2026 he's clearly committed to his vision.