Weapons Director’s Resident Evil Movie Adds Marvel Star to Cast

After the success of 2022’s Barbarian, writer/director Zach Cregger’s career took a massive leap forward this summer with the release of Weapons. Earning widespread critical acclaim, the horror/thriller film dominated the box office throughout August, totalling $259.7 million worldwide so far. The success of Weapons has sparked a great deal of interest in what Cregger will do next. He’s developing some more original ideas and has even written a script for a mysterious DC movie, but before any of those projects get off the ground, Cregger is working with different IP. His Resident Evil movie is already scheduled for release next year, and it just scooped up a big name for the cast.

According to Deadline, The Fantastic Four: First Steps Mole Man actor Paul Walter Hauser has signed on to star in Resident Evil in an unknown role. He becomes the second actor to join the project. Austin Abrams, who memorably portrayed drug addict James in Weapons, is also onboard.

What Paul Walter Hauser’s Resident Evil Role Could Be

Now that Hauser is part of the Resident Evil cast, the conversation will turn to who he might play. Based on what’s already been said about Cregger’s film, fans should expect Hauser to portray an original character who isn’t from one of the games. Cregger previously stated that his Resident Evil is not adapting the narratives of the games and instead is telling its own story. In his mind, there’s no need to have the film revolve around someone like Leon Kennedy because those characters are already covered in the games. Cregger is trying to give fans something that stays true to the spirit of the source material while also putting its own spin on things.

One thing we do know about the Resident Evil plot is that it follows a character who embarks on a journey from “point A to point B” through a zombie-infested landscape. It’s been rumored that the film’s protagonist is a courier trying to deliver a package. Abrams is seemingly headlining the picture, which would presumably make him the courier (assuming that speculation is correct). Perhaps Hauser is playing another survivor Abrams’ character encounters on his adventure. The Resident Evil games make use of companion characters who accompany the player at various points in the campaign (like Luis Serra in Resident Evil 4), so it’s possible Cregger is looking to replicate that dynamic in his film by giving Abrams’ protagonist an ally.

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Whatever character Hauser plays, he’ll surely be a strong fit for the role. Over the course of his career, the actor has demonstrated incredible range, appearing in everything from serious dramas (Richard Jewell) to spoof movies (this summer’s The Naked Gun). That skill set should be a great asset for Resident Evil. While Weapons had plenty of terrifying moments, it also had parts that were quite funny, so Resident Evil could look to balance the horror thrills with some levity, allowing Hauser to tap into various sides of that aforementioned range.

Video game adaptations historically are uneven, but Resident Evil is shaping up to be one of the better ones. Cregger has cemented himself as one of this era’s best horror directors, and he’ll be channeling his passion for the games to make a movie that’s equal parts scary and entertaining. After the original series of Resident Evil movies from Paul W. S. Anderson underwhelmed critically, it should be refreshing to see a different take on things that just lets it rip and has fun. That Cregger is attracting top-tier acting talent to the project is also an encouraging sign about its quality. It’ll be interesting to see who else joins Resident Evil before cameras start to roll.

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