The director of the upcomingResident Evilreboot, Zach Cregger, is reportedly earning a massive sum for his work on the film. Based on the popular Capcom video game, the first movie in the horror franchise was released in 2002, with new sequels and reboots – many of which starred Milla Jovovich – releasing every few years up until Netflix’sResident Evilseries in 2022. Now, Cregger, after the success ofBarbarianin 2022, is set to write, produce, and direct his ownResident Evilmovie, with a release date recently confirmed for August 22, 2025.
A recent report from Matthew Belloni ofPuckclaims that Sony is betting big on Cregger withResident Evil, withthe filmmaker apparently earning a paycheck of $20 million for writing, directing, and producing. This salary, which would normally be reserved for veteran directors, is on top of the 20 backend points he has, which will give him a portion of whatever the film’s box office ends up being. These points, Belloni notes, are non-reducible with no option on sequels.
What Cregger’s Payday Means For Resident Evil
The Director’s Next Movie Could Be A Hit
With the confirmation last week of theResident Evilreboot’s fast-approaching release date, it was already fairly clear that Sony was confident about Cregger’s vision. The fact that Cregger is set to earn $20 million to make the movie is further proof. At least part of the reason for this payday will be Cregger’s strong idea, which is said to hearken back to theResident Evilgames’horror roots, as well as the success ofBarbarian, his debut feature. It also suggests, however, thatCregger’s next movie,Weapons, which is now in production, is generating buzz behind the scenes.
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Even after seven Resident Evil movies and one TV series, I can’t believe there has been no attempt to recreate one of the game’s scariest moments.
It’s not clear what the budget for the upcomingResident Evilmovie will be, but the franchise has been most at home in the mid-budget space, as seen in the chart below. Many of the Jovovich films were made for $40 million or more, withResident Evil: Retribution(2012) leading the pack with $65 million.Cregger’s payday suggests that Sony and Constantin could be putting more resources behind the new reboot, and it could end up operating at the higher end of this mid-budget range.
Our Take On Cregger’s Resident Evil Reboot Payday
Barbarian Is A Promising Sign For The Horror Franchise’s Future
Barbarianserved as a strong announcement for Cregger, not only earning positive reviews from critics, but grossing $45 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget.Weaponsfeatures an impressive castof Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Alden Ehrenreich, and though the movie won’t be releasing until early 2026, there’s now reason to believe that it will be a strong follow-up.
Barbarianhas a 92% score onRotten Tomatoes.
After thepoorly-receivedResident Evil:Welcome to Raccoon City(2021) failed to make much of a mark and Netflix cancelled itsResident Evilshow after just one season, the franchise is arguably in need of some rejuvenation. Cregger, by the sound of things, is just the filmmaker to do it, and his upcomingResident Evilreboot could usher in a new era for the popular horror IP.
