‘Resident Evil’ Director Zach Cregger Had a Wild Gotham Horror Movie Idea Involving Batman, the Joker, and a Pharmacist
Zach Cregger has built a reputation on horror films that drop ordinary people into extraordinary chaos. ‘Barbarian’ put him on the map in 2022, ‘Weapons’ followed in 2025, and his ‘Resident Evil’ reboot opened in the US on September 18. Somewhere in that rise sits a Gotham-set script that has never reached the screen.
The project has been rumbling around DC circles for years. Back in 2022, right after ‘Barbarian’, Cregger mentioned that he had written a Batman-adjacent movie, and by 2025 rumors claimed he wanted to pitch it to DC Studios chief James Gunn. Reports at the time described the story differently, with The Hollywood Reporter describing a low-level henchman who gets lucky and takes down Batman.
Now, with ‘Resident Evil’ in theaters, Cregger has offered a fresh look at the script. ComicBook.com reported that the Gotham City horror movie, titled ‘Henchman’, follows a pharmacist caught in the middle of a fight between the Joker and Batman. The report drew more than 87K views on X within hours, along with 736 likes and 44 reposts.
Speaking to Men’s Health, Cregger described the story as being about a normal guy who gets accidentally sucked into a huge power play between the two rivals. Along the way, the pharmacist ends up becoming an important part of something much bigger than himself. Cregger called it a weird movie that lives on the edge of all the Gotham stories audiences already know.
The most striking part is that Cregger isn’t chasing the usual superhero formula. The Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime are present, but they are not the focus. Instead, the film looks at their conflict from a civilian’s point of view, which fits neatly with the horror-first approach that has made him famous.
Cregger also admitted he isn’t the world’s biggest Batman fan. What drew him in was the character at the center of the script and the story he could tell about him. That outsider’s perspective may be exactly why the idea feels so fresh.
The first trailer for Zach Cregger's ‘RESIDENT EVIL’ has been released.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 30, 2026
In theaters on September 18. pic.twitter.com/eeVCAGzy6M
There is a pattern here too. His ‘Resident Evil’ film also steers clear of the franchise’s best-known heroes and tells a story through a medical courier caught up in an outbreak. ‘Henchman’ looks like an earlier version of the same instinct: enter a famous universe from the sidelines rather than retell the story of its biggest characters.
The script has an unusual origin. After co-directing the 2009 comedy ‘Miss March’, Cregger stepped back from directing and focused on acting, including a role in the TBS series ‘Wrecked’. While filming in Fiji, he began writing ‘Henchman’ at night in his bungalow, and it became the first movie screenplay he ever wrote.
That history makes its long wait even more intriguing. A script that started life on a tropical set has now outlasted years of Hollywood cycles. Whether DC Studios ever picks it up is another matter, though the studio is already moving into horror territory with its ‘Clayface’ movie.
For now, nothing about ‘Henchman’ has been confirmed for production. One scooper previously stressed that no Joker and Harley Quinn movie was in development, so fans should treat every detail with care. Still, the renewed attention proves there is real appetite for a Gotham story that looks at the city from the street level.
With Cregger’s stock higher than ever, the idea of a pharmacist stuck between the Joker and Batman feels more tempting with each new report. Whether it becomes a movie or stays a fascinating what-if, it is a pitch that stands out in a crowded superhero landscape.
Would you watch Zach Cregger’s Henchman if it became a real Gotham movie?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
