The recent film adaptation of Resident Evil, directed by Zach Cregger, has garnered critical acclaim and achieved the highest rating for a video game movie. However, the ending audiences saw in theaters was not the original conclusion Cregger had envisioned. In a conversation with Collider, Cregger and star Austin Abrams discussed how a pivotal change in the final act significantly improved the film's tragic impact.
The movie follows medical courier Brian (Abrams), who is tasked with delivering an antidote for the T-Virus. Midway through, Brian himself becomes infected, and as he nears the scientists working on a cure, the T-Virus begins to mutate him into a monstrous form. Despite his transformation, Brian retains enough humanity to plead for the cure even as he attacks the scientists, creating a devastatingly personal conclusion.
Cregger revealed that the initial script had the cure being destroyed early in the final sequence, leading to Brian fully succumbing to his monstrous state. "Originally in the script, that scientist pulls the needle out, and as soon as Austin [Brian] grabs the woman's face, he drops it, and it shatters," Cregger explained. "Then the rest of the movie is just Austin [Brian] killing the scientists, and people were just like, ‘No, it's over.'"
Describing Brian's rapid loss of humanity as a "misstep," Cregger explained how he relied on a "contingency plan" he had filmed. By shooting an alternate scene where a scientist discreetly pockets the cure during the chaos, the filmmakers were able to alter the events to maintain the suspense and stakes until the very end. "Thank God because that's what we ended up using," Cregger stated. "It keeps the stakes all the way until the end. It's like, ‘Save him, save him!' Whereas before it was just like, ‘Kill them, I guess? Kill them all.'"
This revised sequence allows the audience to remain sympathetic to Brian's plight, ultimately framing the film as a profound tragedy. While Cregger has stated his next project will not be a Resident Evil film, he has indicated that future installments are not entirely out of the question, with ideas already forming for potential sequels.