Zach Cregger Almost Killed Austin Abrams Making the Resident Evil Reboot — And It Made It Into the Movie

Zach Cregger Almost Killed Austin Abrams Making the Resident Evil Reboot — And It Made It Into the Movie

Look, we all know Zach Cregger doesn't do things the easy way. This is the guy who gave us Barbarian — the movie that made Airbnb owners everywhere reconsider their basement policies. Then he followed it up with Weapons, a sprawling horror epic that nobody saw coming. Now he's taking on Capcom's most iconic horror franchise with a complete reboot of Resident Evil — and he very nearly killed his leading man in the process.

"It Missed Him by Inches" — The Blood Bag Stunt That Almost Went Horribly Wrong

Speaking at a Q&A following a Resident Evil footage screening, Cregger dropped one of the wildest production stories of the year. The scene in question — which you can actually glimpse in the new trailer — shows protagonist Bryan (Austin Abrams) sprinting down a Raccoon City street as zombies crash down from rooftops on both sides.

Instead of doing it with visual effects, Cregger insisted on practical effects. His solution? Cranes. Lots of them. Each rigged with 150-pound body-sized blood bags, rehearsed and timed to detonate on impact as Abrams ran through the gauntlet.

"One triggered too early and it missed him by inches," Cregger admitted. "These things are all like 150 pounds. It would've killed him. If he had been like one step to the right, he would have died."

And here's the kicker — the shot made it into the final movie. When asked about it, Cregger's response was pure chaos-goblin energy: "I was like, pretty stoked! I was like, 'Oh, could we do that again?' They're like, 'No we can't do that again, he almost died!'"

Why This Resident Evil Is Completely Different

If you're expecting Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or Claire Redfield to show up, adjust your expectations now. Cregger has made it clear this isn't a straight adaptation of any single game. Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier whose routine late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital spirals into a relentless survival nightmare.

The cast also includes Kaya Scodelario, Tom Hopper, and Jessica Henwick — though Sony Pictures is keeping their roles tightly under wraps for now. The movie clocks in at a lean 95 minutes, and Cregger has described it as "one gigantic sequence" — basically all gas, no brakes from the moment Bryan steps into the hospital.

The footage reactions so far have been overwhelmingly positive, with early viewers praising the practical effects, relentless pacing, and Cregger's willingness to actually honor the survival horror DNA of the games rather than turning it into another action spectacle. The new Resident Evil hits theaters September 18, 2026.

The Bottom Line

Between the near-death stunt story, the 95-minute non-stop approach, and Cregger's proven track record with Barbarian and Weapons, this Resident Evil reboot is shaping up to be one of the most exciting horror releases of the year. Just maybe don't ask Austin Abrams if he'd do the blood bag scene again.