[This story contains major spoilers for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil.]
Austin Abrams and writer-director Zach Cregger are proving to be one of the most formidable creative pairings in modern genre cinema. Their professional alignment dates back to 2023, when the actor remained committed to the filmmaker after industry-wide, strike-related scheduling chaos decimated the initial cast of Weapons. Abrams had several lucrative alternative opportunities available to him, but he chose to stay loyal to the visionary director behind Barbarian (2022)—the breakout horror hit that launched Cregger to the forefront of contemporary genre filmmaking.
That professional gamble paid historic dividends. Abrams delivered a critically acclaimed, standout performance as an unhoused junkie thief in Weapons, a commercial and critical darling that ultimately triumphed at the Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress win for Amy Madigan. Capitalizing on that momentum, Cregger tapped Abrams to anchor his highly anticipated Resident Evil reboot. The gamble has broken franchise records, pulling in an impressive $60 million during its opening weekend and earning the best reviews in the history of the intellectual property.
While Cregger enjoys his status as a premier genre maestro, Abrams is cementing his reputation as the definitive face of autumn thrills. His survival thriller Whalefall—directed by fellow genre specialist and Cregger collaborator Brian Duffield—arrives in theaters on October 16. Whether portraying a medical courier caught in the crosshairs of a viral outbreak or a deep-sea diver swallowed whole by a sperm whale, Abrams’ protagonists, Bryan and Jay, are subjected to uniquely grueling, isolated trials.
Having worked in the industry since he was 13, the 30-year-old actor admits he is momentarily at a loss for words when reflecting on what it means to carry back-to-back major studio pictures. He is equally hesitant to single out which grueling production put him through the more severe physical and emotional wringer.
“Honestly, in certain ways, they’re one and the same. Resident Evil generally had more laughs, just based on the nature of the comedy involved, so that helped lighten the load,” Abrams tells The Hollywood Reporter. “लेकिन [But] I feel bad singling either one out as being harder to work on. They were both really challenging.”
(Major spoilers follow.) Cregger’s Resident Evil establishes its high-stakes tension immediately. Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier who juggles a vital organ delivery with a deeply personal phone call from his girlfriend, Michelle, who has just discovered she is pregnant. Although Bryan insists he will be home in 20 minutes to talk face-to-face, he actively avoids the vulnerable conversation by accepting a last-minute, long-distance delivery run destined for Raccoon City General Hospital.
As Bryan navigates the winding roads, his phone call with Michelle continues. Rather than offering comfort, he reacts defensively, arguing that they should maintain their status quo out of an underlying fear of the responsibilities and changes associated with fatherhood. Frustrated and hurt, Michelle decides to stay with a friend to give him space to reevaluate his priorities.
The conversation is abruptly cut short by poor cell reception and a horrifying obstacle: a bloodied woman wandering directly into his path whom Bryan accidentally strikes with his vehicle. He pulls over, assists the injured pedestrian into his car, and is promptly intercepted by a police officer who takes charge of the situation. Moments later, the officer’s SUV flips over in front of Bryan, confirming what experienced horror audiences likely anticipated—the woman is infected, marking the inciting incident of the franchise’s infamous t-virus outbreak.
Following the tragic death of the police officer, Bryan utilizes the fallen cop’s firearm to neutralize both the rabid pedestrian and an infected guard dog wandering a nearby farm. Seeking refuge, he retreats into the farmhouse to reload his weapon, refuel, and attempt to call Michelle via landline to apprise her of the mounting danger. However, his attempts are thwarted when he is forced to kill the infected farmer and obliterate the reanimated corpse of the pedestrian woman, who is heavily implied to be the farmer’s wife. In a pivotal sequence, he witnesses the horrific fusing of their bodies into a single, relentless amalgamation monster that begins its unyielding pursuit of him.
Bryan continues his terrifying trek on foot, entering a dark tunnel choked with abandoned vehicles. Blocked by an abandoned RV, he climbs through the interior to escape out the back, where he encounters a young girl whom he instinctively attempts to rescue. Tragically, she is already in the advanced stages of infection and savagely bites his arm, leaving Bryan with no choice but to put her down. Shortly thereafter, he crosses paths with Umbrella Corporation operatives who reveal the catastrophic lab leak responsible for the contamination. They also disclose that Bryan’s routine delivery package contains the “neutralizing base” required by Umbrella scientists at Raccoon City General Hospital to formulate a complete antidote.
After enduring a relentless gauntlet of near-death experiences, Bryan reaches the hospital. Pausing in the parking garage, he inspects his rapidly advancing infection. Realizing his time is limited, he makes a final, desperate attempt to reach Michelle, only to find himself once again defeated by a total lack of cellular service. He instead records a heartbreaking audio message, expressing profound regret for his initial coldness regarding her pregnancy and declaring his desire to start a family together. He concludes the recording with a devastating sentiment: “I think you’d be an amazing mom.”
Bryan pushes through the facility to reach the 28th-floor laboratory, delivering the crucial component for the cure mere moments before succumbing entirely to the virus. However, the bumbling Umbrella scientists fail to complete the formulation in time. Bryan loses his humanity completely, turning on the researchers and transforming into his own iteration of the monstrous amalgamation that hunted him across Raccoon City.
The film delivers a sobering narrative twist, revealing retroactively that audiences have just witnessed the tragic origin story of a Resident Evil creature—a monster that gamers typically gun down without a second thought to its human past. Thematically, Cregger explores the inevitability of life-altering change, illustrating how external forces arrive whether individuals are emotionally prepared or not.
“I thought it was crazy and shocking when I first read it. You follow this one guy the whole time, so hopefully you’re enjoying watching him and rooting for him,” Abrams says. “Then to have him not make it is really risky and gutsy, which is what I love about all of Zach’s work. So I was surprised by it, but I also loved that he would take that chance.”
In an era dominated by relentless test screenings and predictable audience score metrics, downer endings frequently fall victim to studio meddling. Abrams expresses deep appreciation for the fact that Cregger and Sony Pictures refused to soften the blow for viewers.
“With a lot of movies nowadays, they’re a little too afraid to do something like that—to kill off a character you really like. And if they do, the blow is softened in some way so it doesn’t hurt too much,” Abrams notes. “Whereas a lot of older films don’t do that; they just rip your heart out. So I’m just appreciative that Zach is willing to take a risk like that.”
For audiences expecting a comforting narrative cushion—such as a last-second notification showing Michelle successfully receiving Bryan’s voice message—the film offers no such relief. Bryan not only surrenders to the infection and mutates into a terrifying biological weapon, but Michelle’s final memory of him remains his initial, defensive rejection of their future child.
“That’s part of the tragedy of it all. It’s so damn sad when you really think about it. She thinks he doesn’t want to have this baby, when he actually does. He realizes, No, I love her. Having a kid isn’t as scary as I thought, and I want to do it with her,” Abrams explains. “So the fact that she’ll never know that is pretty damn tragic. He changed and got better, but no one will ever know about it. There’s something really beautiful and tragic about that.”
Reflecting on the grueling physical demands of the production, Abrams discusses the harrowing reality behind the scenes, including a terrifying moment where a 150-pound blood bag nearly crushed him during a chaotic foot chase through the snow-draped streets of Prague.
Despite the punishing shoot, Abrams remains remarkably grounded about his transition into a bona fide leading man, rejecting the notion that his recent box-office dominance represents an ego trip. As Resident Evil continues to dominate box offices nationwide, Abrams’ gritty, deeply human portrayal of survival proves that vulnerability on screen can be far more powerful than traditional action hero invulnerability.