Chandler Riggs Made His Own Resident Evil 7 Fan Film, and He's Open to Teaming with Zach Cregger for a Sequel

Chandler Riggs, famous for his role as Carl in The Walking Dead, created his own fan film based on a memorable scene from Resident Evil 7, and he's eager to collaborate with Zach Cregger on another Resident Evil movie if the director is interested.

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil adaptation premiered in September to critical acclaim, becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise. Just a month later, Riggs is releasing his own Resident Evil short film, set later in the games' timeline during Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.

Riggs adapted the iconic garage fight between Ethan Winters and Jack Baker into a thrilling 20-minute sequence, driven not by a desire for fame but by his passion for the game. He told us he simply wanted to bring that moment to life on screen. However, given the timing of his film and Cregger's Resident Evil movie, we asked for his thoughts on how his project compared to Cregger's big-budget take on Capcom's flagship horror franchise.

"We were in pre-production when the news broke that Zack Cregger was going to do his movie. I thought, 'Oh man, we need to get ours out first.' We tried to beat the clock and release it about a month ago, but things just didn't line up," he explained.

"I've been looking forward to Cregger's Resident Evil movie for so long," he added. "One of the main reasons I made this is that I was dying to see a good, faithful live-action adaptation of Resident Evil. I can't wait to see the new one."

Cregger's Resident Evil film was generally well-received, but it divided hardcore fans who wanted a direct adaptation of the games. Cregger was firmly against that approach, believing the games already told their stories perfectly. Since Riggs plays the famously faceless Ethan Winters in his fan film, he was acutely aware of how fans might react to his own interpretation of the source material.

"Look, it's impossible to please everyone," he admitted. "There will always be some who are unhappy, but I think it's a great way to attract more people to the series and franchise, and to tell a story you want to tell. It's not easy; making a Resident Evil film with Leon and Jill and everyone is a tall order. Those characters are so iconic from the games, and it's not a simple thing to do. So I totally respect going your own direction and doing your own thing."

"It was absolutely intimidating," he said about playing Ethan Winters, whose face is shown throughout his film. "We're trying to be super faithful to the game in so many other ways, but this is a huge aspect we're breaking from. But there isn't really another good way to tell the story in live-action. I went back and forth: 'Could we do first person the whole time? Could we avoid showing his face?' But the more we debated, the more I realized that if we're going to do this and appeal to a wider audience—beyond just those who played the games—we have to break those rules. It was very intimidating. Hopefully people are okay with it."

Riggs is a massive Resident Evil fan, and his fan film proves it. He admitted he'd love to make a feature-length adaptation of RE7 someday, as well as work with Zach Cregger on another RE movie if the director is willing to return to the franchise.

"A huge reason I did this is that I love being on set and collaborating with cool people—that's what it's all about," he told us. "And just because I want to be on set more, if I can't do more films or TV shows, then I'll just make it myself. I'll make it happen. That's a big part of this. So if Cregger wants to continue in the universe, I'm all for it. Listen, my phone is open. Hit my line!"

It's possible this never happens, though, given that Cregger has said he's never touching a franchise film again due to the strong negative response from a vocal portion of the Resident Evil fanbase. That said, he already has ideas for a sequel, so the future of RE's film adaptations is uncertain.

Riggs' Resident Evil fan film hits the internet on October 14, starring Chandler Riggs as Ethan Winters, Jason Douglas as Jack Baker, Mary Rachel Quinn, Eugenie Bonderant, Johnathan O'Niel, and Sam Coyles.