Once best known for his comedy as one of the founding members of The Whitest Kids U' Know, Zach Cregger is now an up-and-coming horror director thanks to his hit film Barbarian. Many of us have been eager to see what the filmmaker does next and we'll finally find out later this year with the release of his next movie, Weapons, coming out this August.
Beyond Weapons, the director has also been tapped to helm Sony and Constantin Film's upcoming live-action Resident Evil movie, a film that is said to be more faithful to the games. The most recent rumor is that Academy Award-winning Anora star Mikey Madison might have been offered a leading role, but here are a few other updates you may have missed.
Mikey Madison rumor
Madison just had a stellar 2024 after winning Best Actress for her role in Anora, along with the film itself picking up Best Picture and several other awards. Next up, she's hosting Saturday Night Live and according to a report from World of Reel, there are rumors swirling she's been offered a leading role in Cregger's Resident Evil movie.
Of course, this is just a rumor and it might not be true at all. Even if Madison was offered the part, it doesn't necessarily mean she's going to take it. As a rising star, all eyes are on her right now and—coming off an Oscar win—she likely has her pick of movie projects. But she did previously star in Scream, so we know she's capable of doing a great horror movie. If she does get cast, perhaps she'll wind up playing Jill Valentine.
Austin Abrams might have nabbed the lead
The Hollywood Reporter previously shared that Euphoria star Austin Abrams could be starring in Resident Evil. It wouldn't be all that surprising since Abrams also stars in Cregger's upcoming movie Weapons co-starring Josh Brolin and Julia Garner. If cast in Resident Evil, he'd likely being playing Chris Redfield.
Abrams previously starred in the Netflix series Dash & Lily, Do Revenge, Scary Movies to Tell in the Dark, and the Apple TV+ film Wolfs starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
Sony sets release date for September 2026
Cregger's take on Resident Evil has already been dated for next fall, with Sony planning to release the film theatrically on September 18, 2026. Given that, we should expect the movie to start filming within the next couple of months. Even though the casting news is still in the rumor stage, they're going to have to lock it down soon if they want the film to come out at that time.
Speaking of release dates, another one of Cregger's movies will be released this year after previously being dated for 2026. Warner Bros. has moved up the date for his movie Weapons, originally releasing in January 2026, Weapons will now hit theaters on August 8, 2025.