Fighting for Zach Cregger's new movie.

In what appears to be the first major auction of the year, a fierce bidding war is restarting resident Evil, The horror action movie series is based on the popular video game. Cregger attached writing and direct.

Sources say four studios are working on the win, including Warner Bros. and Netflix.

Constantin Film, which has held the screen rights to the title since the late 1990s and has been behind the previous films, will be working on the reboot with PlayStation Productions. Shay Hatten John Wick: Chapter 4 and Zack Snyder deceasedwas co-written.

These movies, six starring Milla Jovovich, plus an Origins feature produced during the pandemic, are money-makers. But Cregger is the reason studios are willing to spend money.

Cregger is an actor and comedian barbarianthe 2022 cult he wrote and directed. It also established him as a new voice in horror, and when he went out on horror projects, a bidding war broke out. Upcoming movie titled armswon by Warners' New Line, saw him become the final director to be axed. The horror film stars Josh Brolin and Julia Garner in the ensemble cast.

the word arms Sources say it is very powerful and has tested high. Warners, which doesn't have a movie date yet, may be doing everything it can to keep Cregger's talent alive. (The filmmaker is also preparing to release his first major film as a producer on the thriller The Horror companionhere are the glowing reviews it received ahead of its January 31 opening. )

The combination of Cregger with an established intellectual property pairing is also likely to be enticing, regardless of the cost.

this resident Evil The film based on the Capcom video game is a mix of horror, science fiction and action genres and follows the heroine's adventures with zombies and the Umbrella Corporation, a biowarfare company that unleashes monsters. These films have grossed more than $1.2 billion at the global box office.

Cregger's vision has been described by sources as an overhaul that would bring the title back to its horror roots and be more faithful to the original game, which dates back to 1996.