Why the New Resident Evil Movie Skipped the Game's Icons

Forget familiar faces. The new Resident Evil film introduces Brian — and asks us to come along without Leon, Jill, or Claire. Bold move. Risky, too.

Director Zach Cregger has explained why he left the franchise’s most beloved characters out of his adaptation. In a recent interview with Empire, Cregger said dropping in established heroes would have felt forced — like adding a famous cameo just for applause. He wanted a single, self-contained tale. A tight story. A different rhythm.

"If I had brought those characters in, it would have read as unnatural," he told Empire. "This is a standalone story. I always put the story first. The core idea is that we’re following a kind of foolish man — not actually dumb, just unlike the usual game protagonists." Short sentence. Sharp intent.

Fans reacted the way fans often do: loudly and split down the middle. Some argued the movie missed a chance to adapt a beloved game arc, to give Leon or Jill a fresh cinematic life. Others shrugged, pointing out that Resident Evil on-screen has long taken liberties — remember Paul W. S. Anderson’s films and the wholly original hero, Alice? That franchise carved its own path and found an audience that loved it for different reasons.

There’s a more recent precedent, too. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City tried to hew closer to the games in 2021. It aimed for fidelity. It didn’t win critics over, and it didn’t spawn the box-office momentum needed for a follow-up. Fidelity, it seems, doesn’t guarantee success.

So Cregger decided to do what he does best: stamp the project with his voice. He’s said audiences will see his fingerprints across the film — the tone and pacing will feel like his earlier work, only this time the setting is the Resident Evil universe. That’s the pitch. That’s the promise. He’s betting his style will earn viewers’ trust.

It’s not empty talk. Both Barbarian and Weapons — Cregger’s previous films — earned critical attention and helped define him as a filmmaker willing to bend genre expectations. The Persian source even highlights that Weapons won praise and that Amy Madigan took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gladys, a claim the coverage used to underline the filmmaker’s rising stature.

Still, Cregger hasn’t ignored the games. He’s peppered nods throughout: healing herbs, inventory-management beats, even third-person camera angles that mimic the feel of playing. They’re small echoes, not cosplay. A wink rather than a copy.

Austin Abrams carries the lead as Brian, a man who stumbles into horrors while trying to deliver a package to a remote hospital. He’s flanked by a supporting cast that includes Zach Cherry, Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis and Janu Wilson. Abrams, known for roles on Euphoria and in earlier Cregger projects, finally gets a headline part here — a possible turning point in his career.

Will the choice to sideline established game heroes alienate longtime fans? Maybe. Will it give the franchise room to grow a new kind of protagonist? Also maybe. Either way, Brian’s arc will quickly reveal whether this reboot is a fresh start or a detour — and whether audiences are ready to follow a different kind of survivor.