The first trailer for director Zach Cregger's upcoming film has arrived, providing fans with a terrifying glimpse into this new adaptation of Capcom's legendary survival-horror series. It appears the Resident Evil movie's giant creature is signaling a shift from standard zombie tropes toward pure monster horror.
About one minute into the trailer, the film's hero, Bryan, drops into a sewer in true Resident Evil fashion. There, he is confronted by a massive, pale-looking man blocking his path. This entity bears a striking resemblance to Baron Harkonnen, the primary antagonist from author Frank Herbert's Dune saga.
Striking Visual Parallels to Dune
The visual connection between Cregger’s monster and the Baron—specifically Denis Villeneuve's interpretation in Dune Part One (2021) and Dune Part Two (2024)—is hard to ignore. Both characters share several unsettling physical traits:
- Massive, imposing physical scale
- Pale, seemingly hairless skin
- A grotesque, overwhelming presence
In the recent Dune films, Baron Harkonnen is so massive that he utilizes anti-gravity technology to float through the air. While this new character looks nearly identical to that terrifying aesthetic, the two are not quite the same.
The Resident Evil Movie's Giant Creature: A Different Inspiration?
Despite the obvious visual links to the Harkonnen lineage, the Resident Evil movie's giant creature isn't actually a product of Arrakis. While the resemblance is uncanny, there is more to the design than meets the eye.
During a trailer breakdown with IGN, director Zach Cregger revealed that he has a different literary inspiration in mind for the massive man in the sewer. While the Resident Evil movie's giant creature certainly evokes images of sci-fi royalty, fans should look toward a different corner of literature to find the true source of this nightmare.
