Resident Evil Director Cites 1917 as Unlikely Structural Inspiration

Zach Cregger has disclosed an unexpected creative influence behind his Resident Evil film. The director told Rotten Tomatoes that the 2019 Oscar-nominated war movie 1917 provided structural inspiration for his take on the zombie franchise.

"1917. But like it's completely different in tone. But that is structurally maybe the closest," Cregger said. "It's like if Evil Dead 2 and 1917 were its parents, but that doesn't feel right... like if those movies loved each other very much."

Directed by Sam Mendes, 1917 follows two British soldiers in World War I on a mission to deliver a critical message that will prevent a fatal attack. The film earned ten nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, winning Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

The structural parallel makes sense in context. Both films center on a protagonist moving through hostile environments toward a single objective, with survival becoming secondary to mission completion. Cregger's Resident Evil follows a medical courier tasked with delivering a mysterious package to Raccoon City, where an escaped lab-created virus has begun destroying humanity.

Cregger directed from a screenplay he wrote with Shay Hatten. The film has earned critical acclaim, reaching universal recognition on Metacritic. In separate interviews, Cregger revealed his four favorite video games: The Binding of Isaac, Dark Souls 3, Resident Evil 4, and The Last of Us 2. He noted that Resident Evil 4 directly influenced his film's design.

Meanwhile, producer Roy Lee, who secured the Resident Evil rights after Cregger's initial interest, is reportedly developing an unnamed Silent Hill project. Lee has also worked on video game adaptations including A Minecraft Movie and currently has 20 movies and TV shows in development based on franchises like Battlefield and God of War.