Resident Evil director reveals why he changed a key detail from the original script

The newly released Resident Evil, directed by Zach Cregger, has a very different key detail when compared to the original script, and that is Bryan's ending.

The original version of the ending was much darker, with Bryan losing himself to the infection and going on to kill the scientists. However, Cregger changed this in the final version, giving Bryan a brief chance to survive thanks to the antidote.

Speaking to Collider about the change, Cregger said:

"One of the missteps I made early on was not doing that. And so we reorganized the chain of events. Thank god I shot for this as a contingency plan. It was like my plan B."

Released on September 18, 2026, Resident Evil starred Austin Abrams as Bryan, Zach Cherry as Umbrella Corporation scientist Carl, Kali Reis as Maxine, and Paul Walter Hauser as Paul. The movie has already scored 7.7 stars on IMDb and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Spoilers ahead!

What made the Resident Evil director, Zach Cregger, change the original ending?

In Resident Evil, Bryan's night might look like a normal night as he decides to deliver a Schedule A organ carrier case for double pay. However, his trip to Raccoon City General Hospital isn't as smooth as he thought it would be. What looked like a simple delivery in the beginning turns into a fight for survival after he hits an infected woman while talking to his girlfriend, Michele.

Bryan soon learns that a dangerous virus is spreading across the city, and the organ he is carrying could help make a cure. But there's another big problem, as Bryan has already been bitten, and that also means he is slowly becoming infected himself. Fans of the franchise will know what comes next, as Bryan is already starting to transform.

However, he doesn't give up so easily. He fights for his life and reaches the Raccoon City General Hospital lab with the cure. The scientists at the hospital lab somehow manage to make the cure, but they have to face Bryan's new monster side, which starts taking their lives.

Towards the end of the movie, he eventually gets one last chance to be saved as he wanted. But the syringe falls from the building before anyone can use it. So, is Bryan still alive? The ending leaves his fate, as well as Raccoon City's future, unknown.

However, Bryan's ending was different in the original script, where the infection had already taken over, and he ended up killing the scientists. But in the final movie, Bryan is still trying to stay alive and gets one last chance to find the antidote. This leaves his fate open at the end.

Speaking of Resident Evil's ending, during a recent interview with Collider, Zach Cregger explained that the original script had a different ending: in that version, Bryan (played by Austin Abrams) drops the needle after grabbing the woman's face, causing it to break. The rest of the story then shows him killing the scientists. However, Cregger had filmed an extra scene where the scientist puts the needle in his pocket. The director explained to the outlet:

"Just as I had a feeling. I was like, I feel like I'm going to need that. And so then we were able to build a new sequence of the end."

He further explained that he had also filmed a backup scene where the actor goes for the stab. Cregger said he decided to film it just in case they needed it later, and that scene ended up being used in the final movie. Speaking to Collider in the interview, he added:

"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."

By changing the ending, Zach Cregger gave Bryan's story one last emotional turn in Resident Evil.

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