Production on the upcoming Resident Evil feature film will get underway in Prague this fall. According to multiple sources, the new movie in Capcom’s survival horror franchise, directed by Zach Cregger, will film in and around the Czech capital from mid-October through January 2026. The Prague Reporter was the first to report back in June that the project had registered to film in Czechia and was eyeing Prague as its production base.
Resident Evil has been allocated about CZK 191 million ($9.1 million) in production incentives by the Czech Audiovisual Fund. Under the Czech Republic’s new 25 percent rebate plan, this suggests that the project plans to spend about CZK 764 million ($36.4 million) locally.
This is not a final budget, and likely does not include expenditures like foreign cast and crew or post-production costs. Still, it suggests that Cregger is keeping the budget of Resident Evil relatively low for a major studio franchise, in line with his previous film Weapons, which was made for a reported $38 million and has grossed $239 million at the worldwide box office over the past four weeks.
For comparison, Extraction II was awarded CZK 428 million ($20.4 million) in production incentives back in 2022 under a 20 percent plan, indicating a local spend north of CZK 2 billion ($100 million by today’s rates, though the dollar was considerably stronger three years ago). Nosferatu received CZK 142 million ($6.8 million) under the 20 percent plan in 2023, indicating a CZK 710 million ($33.8 million) local spend—in line with the numbers allocated to Resident Evil.
The new Resident Evil adaptation comes at a pivotal moment for both the long-running video game series and its mixed record of screen interpretations. Sony Pictures has set a Sept. 18, 2026, release date for Cregger’s take, which aims to reinvent the franchise for a new era of audiences.
Cregger’s vision for Resident Evil
Cregger, whose previous features include the breakout 2022 hit Barbarian and this summer’s Weapons, has described his version of Resident Evil as rooted more in the games than in the prior live-action movies. In interviews, the director emphasized that the project will follow the structure of a game-like journey, tracing a single protagonist through a descent into increasingly nightmarish territory.
“All I can say is that it is true to the experience of the games,” Cregger said on the Double Toasted podcast. “It takes place in the world of the games, but most importantly the journey you’ll have as a viewer of watching this movie is going to be similar to the journey you have as a player when you play these games. And what that means is it follows one protagonist from point A to point B as they just descend deeper and deeper and deeper into hell.”
Unlike the ensemble-driven films directed by Paul W. S. Anderson in the 2000s or the 2021 reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Cregger’s film is expected to focus tightly on a single lead character. Austin Abrams, who starred in Weapons, is reported to be attached in that role. Unconfirmed reports previously linked Oscar-winner Mikey Madison to the project, but she is attached to star in Reptilia alongside Kirsten Dunst, which is also expected to begin filming this fall.
The director has also said his take “probably lives more in the world of [Resident Evil] 2 and 3, but adheres more to the tone of 4,” underscoring his intent to balance franchise familiarity with his own sensibilities. Despite drawing inspiration from several series titles, Cregger has stressed that his film will tell an original story rather than directly adapting an existing plotline from the games.
Prague as a horror production hub
For Prague, hosting Resident Evil represents the latest in a string of major horror and genre productions. In recent years, the city has been the backdrop for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, the reboot of The Crow, and fantasy/sci-fi streaming series such as Blade Runner 2099, Foundation, Interview with the Vampire, The Wheel of Time, and Carnival Row. Stillking Films will handle the production of Resident Evil in the Czech Republic.
Cregger’s presence in Prague earlier this summer, where he introduced a screening of Weapons at Edison Filmhub, had already fueled speculation about the local shoot. According to industry reports, Cregger had storyboarded the film extensively before production, signaling a tightly planned shoot once cameras roll this October.
With a release date already locked in for next September, Sony and Constantin Film are banking on Cregger’s distinctive approach to give Resident Evil a new lease of life. After seven movies in the Anderson-led series and a lukewarm 2021 reboot, expectations are high for whether this installment can finally deliver a version that resonates with both critics and fans following the success of the director’s previous films.
Lead photo: Prague Reporter montage (Leon in Resident Evil 4; Prague’s Charles Bridge courtesy DepositPhotos.com)
