Sony has released the first teaser trailer for Resident Evil, offering a first look at Zach Cregger’s reboot of the long-running horror franchise and revealing several action-heavy sequences filmed in Prague last year. The footage gives audiences their first glimpse of the Prague-shot zombie spectacle that transformed parts of Karlín and Holešovice into blood-soaked battlegrounds during production in late 2025.
The teaser centers on Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier caught in a rapidly collapsing nightmare as a viral outbreak spreads through Raccoon City. Set over the course of a single night, the film follows Bryan as he attempts to survive a city overtaken by infected creatures, with the trailer emphasizing snow-covered streets, practical gore effects, and sudden bursts of zombie violence.
For Prague viewers, the teaser also confirms that several of the production’s most visible local shoots will appear prominently in the finished film. The Prague Reporter documented filming for Resident Evil in both Karlín and Holešovice last year, capturing behind-the-scenes footage and set photos from the large-scale night shoots now featured in Sony’s first trailer.
Prague locations emerge in the teaser’s standout action scenes
Among the clearest Prague shots in the teaser are scenes filmed beneath the Negrelli Viadukt in Karlín, where the production staged a nighttime sequence involving zombie attacks in a snow-covered underpass. Brief shots in the teaser show Abrams fleeing through the area as the zombie threat emerges.
Another major Prague set piece featured in the trailer comes from Holešovice’s Přístavní Street, where the production transformed Prague 7 into a wrecked urban corridor lined with overturned cars, artificial snow, and practical gore. The teaser includes glimpses of one of the film’s central action beats: zombies hurling themselves from surrounding buildings onto cars and the pavement below as Abrams runs through the chaos.
That sequence was among the production’s most elaborate Prague shoots. Filmed over several nights in November, the set dressed Přístavní Street as an American industrial district in the fictional Raccoon City, complete with U.S.-style storefronts, signage, and Colorado license plates. Artificial snow blanketed the street while fake blood and debris covered the pavement, creating the wintry, post-collapse atmosphere seen in the teaser.
The footage highlights the extent to which Prague doubles for a Midwestern American city in the film. As with many major studio productions shot in the Czech capital, Resident Evil uses Prague’s industrial corridors and adaptable streetscapes to stand in for the United States, with Karlín and Holešovice providing the film’s bleakest urban environments.
Cregger’s reboot shifts back toward survival horror
The new Resident Evil marks the latest film adaptation of Capcom’s long-running video game series, but Cregger has said his take is designed to move closer to the survival-horror tone of the original games than previous entries. Speaking earlier this month at CinemaCon, the director described the film as “a big, scary ride” that stays focused on a single protagonist moving through an increasingly hostile world.
In comments published Thursday by PlayStation Blog, Cregger said the film draws heavily from the structure of the games, particularly Resident Evil 2, with its emphasis on resource scarcity, escalating danger, and constant movement through changing environments. Rather than adapting one of the game’s existing protagonists, the film follows an original character navigating the outbreak from the sidelines of the better-known story.
Cregger said he wanted to preserve the tension that defined the games, including limited ammunition, shifting locations, and a protagonist with no combat training. Abrams’ Bryan is positioned less as a traditional action hero than as an ordinary civilian forced to improvise his way through a rapidly deteriorating city.
That approach marks a tonal shift from earlier Resident Evil films, which increasingly leaned into large-scale action. Cregger’s version appears more grounded in panic, isolation, and close-quarters terror, with the teaser emphasizing dread and physical vulnerability over spectacle alone.
Produced by Constantin Film and co-financed with Sony, Resident Evil also stars Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. The film, shot in Prague and other Czech locations with local production services from Stillking Films, is scheduled to open in theaters worldwide on Sept. 18.
