- Primary Subject: Austin Abrams' character in the Resident Evil reboot
- Key Update: Director Zach Cregger explained the new original character played by Austin Abrams in the upcoming movie.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: May 1, 2026
- Quick Answer: Austin Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier. Director Zach Cregger chose an original character to avoid redundant game adaptations and provide a "normal guy" perspective.
One of the biggest questions that fans have regarding the Resident Evil movie reboot is who Austin Abrams is playing and why it is focusing on a new original character.
Recently, the first trailer to Zach Cregger's highly anticipated reboot of the beloved video game franchise was finally released, giving fans a terrifying look at the upcoming film. While there were familiar elements from the game, fans were struck by how different it felt from the usual fare that they expect in a Resident Evil story.
Cregger has already explained that the upcoming reboot won't be an adaptation of the video game, but rather an original story set in the Resident Evil universe.
Who is Austin Abrams Playing in Resident Evil Reboot?
Austin Abrams will be playing the role of Bryan, a medical courier who finds himself in the middle of a sudden outbreak and has to fight for survival.
In an interview with PlayStation, Cregger explained why he opted for an original story in the reboot rather than adapting directly from the video game.
"I wanted to tell a story that could take place in the Resident Evil world, but wasn’t telling a story that the games had already told. To me, I would feel like there’s kind of no winning there if I were to tell Leon’s story, because the games do such a great job," he said.
"It would just be kind of redundant, and ultimately, I think, disappointing. So I would rather just kind of celebrate everything I love about the games by telling the story that could exist on the sidelines of one of the games."
Cregger added, "So the world of [Resident Evil 2] is kind of where this takes place, even though I’d make a couple of little shifts for dramatic license. It’s just following a different person who’s on a mission in this horrible night when things are going wrong in Raccoon City, and they’ve got to get something from point A to point B. And as they go, they encounter all of the same sorts of things you would encounter in the games."
As for Abrams' character Bryan, Cregger explained that he is an "avatar" for him, and he represents how an average video game player might act if they are inside the game.
"Austin is very much like an avatar for me, or what I expect the average video game player would react if they were thrust into the game themselves," he said.
"So he’s just a normal guy. He’s not particularly good at combat in any way, shape, or form. He’s athletic, but he’s not an athlete; he’s just a guy. He’s just a good-natured, hapless dude who gets sucked into a nightmare."
What is Zach Cregger's Resident Evil About?
In an all-new story, Zach Cregger's Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.
Aside from Abrams, the cast also includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. All of them are playing new characters that have never been introduced in the video games or in the previous film adaptations.
Cregger's Resident Evil reboot will be released in theaters on September 18. It will also be available in premium large formats such as IMAX.
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