Zach Cregger has ruled out a longer comedy-heavy version of Resident Evil, saying the Resident Evil Cregger cut in cinemas is already the director’s preferred version. The comment follows renewed fan interest in the jokes removed after test screenings.
Cregger previously said audiences thought the movie was “too funny”, leading him to strip out as much of the humour as possible. In a new interview with IGN, he was asked about calls for those scenes to return.
“It was the right move. It’s funny; I saw somebody online was like, ‘Release the Cregger cut!’ I’m like, ‘No, this is the Cregger cut.’ The Cregger cut is this without those jokes in it.”
Zach Cregger
Resident Evil Cregger cut hopes meet a firm no
Cregger said the film can have moments of levity, but it needs to be a horror movie first. He also said he still dislikes removing a good joke, particularly because he comes from comedy, but that he had to consider the film as a whole.
That leaves the Resident Evil Cregger cut as a joke in its own right rather than a promised home-release extra. The idea gained momentum because Cregger’s earlier comments made the deleted material sound substantial, while the theatrical film has still been described by some viewers as a horror-comedy.
The new answer does not reveal how many jokes were removed or whether any deleted scenes will appear on a future home release. It does make Cregger’s position clear: the lighter moments that remain are intentional, and he currently has no plans to restore the excised material.
What changed after the test screenings?
Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter that test audiences liked the movie but felt it was too funny. He said the feedback helped him find the balance he wanted, with horror carrying the film and comedy used more sparingly.
The theatrical Resident Evil premiered on 18 September 2026 and follows an original story set in Capcom’s survival-horror world. It stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier caught in the Raccoon City outbreak. tbreak previously covered the jokes removed after testing, while the film’s broader approach to the games is covered in our earlier report on Cregger’s reboot.
Will there be a Cregger cut of Resident Evil?
Zach Cregger said there will not be a separate Cregger cut, describing the theatrical version as the Cregger cut.
Why did Zach Cregger remove jokes from Resident Evil?
He said test audiences liked the film but thought it was too funny, so he removed much of the humour to keep the horror central.
When did Resident Evil premiere?
The Zach Cregger-directed Resident Evil premiered in cinemas on 18 September 2026.
