Zach Cregger Wants Christina Hendricks as RESIDENT EVIL’s Lady Dimitrescu

Zach Cregger has finally revealed who he’d cast as the towering Resident Evil Village villain, Lady Dimitrescu, and his choice is pretty perfect. The director named Christina Hendricks, best known for playing Joan Harris on Mad Men, and it’s easy to see why fans would be on board.

Cregger’s Resident Evil has screened for critics, earning strong reactions and a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score. That has to feel pretty good after the director spent much of the film’s press cycle explaining why he decided to tell an original story rather than directly adapt one of the games.

Instead of bringing established heroes such as Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield into his movie, Cregger wanted to capture the atmosphere, horror, and experience of playing Resident Evil while telling an original story. There are Easter eggs for longtime fans, but his film isn’t trying to recreate a specific game.

With the movie getting such a positive response, attention has naturally turned to what Cregger might have done with some of the franchise’s familiar characters.

During an interview with Pedestrian.TV, Cregger was asked who he would cast as Lady Dimitrescu, the towering villain who became an instant fan favorite after appearing in Resident Evil Village. It took him a moment to land on the actress he had in mind before he named Hendricks.

“Yes! Christina Hendricks. I think I would go for that. That feels about right.”

Lady Dimitrescu rules Castle Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, which follows Ethan Winters as he searches for his kidnapped infant daughter in a creepy European village. Dimitrescu hunts Ethan through her castle, taunting and attacking him while making every hallway feel considerably smaller.

Despite appearing during only a portion of the game, Lady Dimitrescu became one of Resident Evil’s most recognizable villains. Her massive height, elaborate wardrobe, giant hat, razor-sharp claws, and wonderfully theatrical personality turned her into an internet sensation before the game was even released.

Hendricks certainly has the presence to pull it off. The actress is best known for playing Joan Harris on Mad Men, where she commanded a room while rocking the kind of vintage wardrobe that already makes the Lady Dimitrescu comparison pretty easy to picture.

Hendricks has also shown she can make a lasting impression without needing a huge amount of screen time, including her role as Blanche in Drive. Hendricks has been a popular Lady Dimitrescu fan cast since Resident Evil Village first introduced the character.

Unfortunately, fans probably shouldn’t expect Cregger to make that casting happen himself. The Barbarian and Weapons filmmaker has said he doesn’t plan to return to the Resident Evil franchise anytime soon, choosing instead to focus on his own original projects.

If another filmmaker eventually decides to bring Castle Dimitrescu and its nine-foot-tall vampire lady to live action, though, Cregger has already handed them a very good actress to call.