4 Years Later, Zach Cregger’s Batman Movie is Ready for DCU After Resident Evil Success

Zach Cregger is tackling his first big IP with the Resident Evil reboot, but credits gaining the confidence to handle it and work on his breakout films Barbarian and Weapons to one spec script he wrote earlier. Cregger revealed that while he was working on the show Wrecked, he wrote a spec script set in the world of Batman and DC Comics.

Cregger has quickly become one of the most original voices in horror, with all three of his directorials being praised for adding value to the genre. Even Resident Evil is not a straight adaptation of the video games, but is an original story set in the same universe. This makes him the perfect choice for a DCU project that could use a similar treatment.

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil Has Its Roots in a Spec Batman Script

Austin Abrams in Resident Evil | Credits: Sony Pictures Releasing

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil follows a medical courier called Bryan, who has to deliver a package in the zombie-infested Raccoon City. Neither the character nor the story is related to the video game, but it is just set in the same universe as the second game. This method seems to have worked, with critics and audiences both loving the film.

Cregger has been known for his original horror work, with both his previous films, Barbarian and Weapons, becoming successes. Weapons even won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Needless to say, Cregger’s career has changed for the better, and Resident Evil is his biggest project yet.

The filmmaker credited gaining the confidence to write again to a spec script he wrote set in the DC universe. Called Henchman, the story was reportedly centered on a pharmacist from Gotham who gets sucked into a power play between Batman and the Joker. 

Cregger said that the events happen in the periphery of the main Batman universe (via Men’s Health).

It’s someone living on the periphery of all the stories in Gotham that we know of, and it’s about some rando. I’m not the world’s biggest Batman guy at all, but I just liked this story. I liked this character. I liked what happened to him, so it was just fun.

This is the same structure for Resident Evil as well, so much so that the main character in the horror film is a medical courier (similar to the pharmacist character). While Cregger said he was not the biggest Batman fan and there is a slim chance of Henchman getting made, the film would actually be perfect for the DCU.

Cregger’s Batman Movie is Perfect for the Superhero Reinvention Era

Zach Cregger on CONAN | Credits: TBS

While we are still living in an era of superhero movies, the genre is undergoing a revisionist arc. Shows like The Boys, Invincible, and Lanterns are showing that it is not enough to just be a superhero film; there needs to be something else to make it interesting amidst all the slop. Of course, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an exception that worked great classic superhero storytelling.

Zach Cregger’s Henchman sounds like a story that could bring in a fresh perspective on the genre. Following an everyman in Gotham while the Batman and the Joker are having a power struggle is an almost Frank Miller-esque take on the genre, where the impact of these larger heroes can be seen on civilians.

The Matt Reeves BatVerse is already expanding with The Penguin and The Batman: Part II. Zach Cregger’s Henchman project could fit right in as we explore more about Robert Pattinson’s Batsy and Barry Keoghan’s Joker. While it would be a bit difficult for the film to fit into the larger DCU continuity, James Gunn still finds a way to make this project fit in.

What do you think about Zach Cregger’s Batman story? Comment below.

Resident Evil is currently playing in cinemas.