{"id":9549,"date":"2026-09-26T11:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T10:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=9549"},"modified":"2026-09-26T09:41:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T08:41:52","slug":"resident-evil-ending-explained-why-zach-cregger-had-to-change-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/09\/26\/resident-evil-ending-explained-why-zach-cregger-had-to-change-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident Evil’s original ending was somehow even darker, so Zach Cregger had to change it"},"content":{"rendered":"

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Resident Evil*<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a happy resolution – or even just a dash of hope – you\u2019re not going to get it from Resident Evil. But director Zach Cregger has revealed the original ending for his video game<\/a> adaptation was somehow even more ruthless. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cregger\u2019s film is a reboot of the Resident Evil films<\/a>, and rather than casting Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield from the Capcom horror<\/a> games, this story centres on a brand new character. As the filmmaker explained, he didn\u2019t simply want to retell a story fans had already played. <\/span><\/p>\n

This adaptation follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who is tasked with delivering a package to Raccoon City General Hospital in the snowy Colorado mountains, only to find himself caught in the middle of a zombie virus outbreak. <\/span><\/p>\n

The underlying message is Bryan\u2019s fear of change. While on the job, he speaks on the phone with his girlfriend Michelle, and we soon find out that she\u2019s pregnant. Bryan makes it clear he\u2019s not ready to be a father, ultimately throwing the decision back to her before his signal cuts out. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phone
Credit: Sony Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before they can continue their conversation, Bryan gets thrown right in the deep end of the outbreak, grappling with rabid pedestrians, being chased down by a tentacle-faced dog, and having to rescue a girl who is slowly transforming after being bitten by her mum. As the virus takes over, Bryan shoots the girl point blank in the head, but not before she manages to bite his arm. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once back on the road, he\u2019s stalked by an amalgamation monster – as Cregger described it, it\u2019s like a human tumbleweed – only to get rescued by two members of the Umbrella Corporation.<\/span><\/p>\n

They explain that a lab accident caused the outbreak, and Bryan\u2019s package isn\u2019t an organ like he\u2019d thought – it\u2019s actually a neutralising base they need to complete the cure. But when they get to Racoon City, the scientists are killed by an amalgamation, leaving Bryan to deliver the package alone. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the way to the hospital, plenty more chaos ensues, from raining zombies<\/a> to stomach-bursting mutant rats. And to make matters worse, remember that bite? It\u2019s slowly taking over Bryan. <\/span><\/p>\n