Resident Evil movie set photos reveal reboot is set in an iconic game location

Resident Evil fans are getting excited over the first images of Zach Cregger’s take on the franchise, which is bringing back a beloved central location.

It’s no secret that video games have a rough history when they’re adapted into movies. That has changed with some recent hits like the Sonic films, but still, there have been plenty of bombs in video game movie history.

A major exception was Resident Evil. The original 2002 film based on the long-running horror action series was a surprise smash, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich as Alice, the heroine who faced down an army of zombies ravaging the world. It spawned the most successful video game movie franchise ever, with six entries and over a billion dollars at the box office.

An attempted spinoff reboot in 2021, Welcome to Raccoon City failed to connect as well. That was followed by Netflix's disastrous live-action show, which was derided by fans of the franchise as failing to deliver the same amount of thrills.

Of course, there’s always the opportunity to reboot any franchise, and that opportunity is coming due as Resident Evil is returning under the direction of Zach Cregger. The man made a huge impact with horror the hit horror movies Barbarian and Weapons, so turning him loose on this franchise seems a safe bet. 

While production in Prague has been tight, recent set photos indicate that the movie is returning the franchise to its roots with its most iconic location: Racoon City. 

When is the new Resident Evil film set?

ROEnetwork shared images of the filming as Prague is transformed into a burned-out Raccoon City, the most frequent setting for the game series. There’s shots of burned-out cars, a vehicle labeled “Martin County Sheriff" and maps showing Racoon City as a sprawling place. 

While the first Resident Evil movies did use Raccoon City for a setting, the franchise would expand to more lavish set pieces. This appears to get back to the source material, although it questions how this new film plays with the Resident Evil canon.

It’s notable that Cregger has already stated this is not going to adapt the games but tell an original story set in the same universe. He also threw a bit of shade on not liking the original movies, and this will bring him closer in tone to the second through fourth games in the series. 

Setting this in Raccoon City is interesting, as that was destroyed at the end of Resident Evil 3, which was adapted in the second movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. There has been a reported plot leak that the story centers around an organ courier who comes to Raccoon City just after the outbreak of the T-Virus that creates the zombie hordes. As much as fans would love to see popular game characters like Leon Kennedy or Jill Valentine, Cregger seems content to leave the games be and just use the lore for a fresher take. 

However, Raccoon City has long been seen by fans as a real star of the franchise. From the sprawling metropolis to the darker cabins and woodland home to numerous monsters, the city has provided scores of thrills, especially in the recent remastered versions of Resident Evil 2 and 3. With this movie taking a more low-key approach rather than the over-the-top action of the first film series, showcasing Raccoon City as its own character is a smart move.

We still need more details on the story and characters, but those who doubted Cregger could do Resident Evil justice will no doubt be pleased that the movie will use the best-known locale from the games!

Resident Evil releases September 18, 2026.