‘Resident Evil’s Austin Abrams Recalls “Harrowing” Stunt Shoot For Zach Cregger’s Video Game Adaptation: “You Don’t Wanna F*ck Up”

Austin Abrams walked into Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil" adaptation largely unfamiliar with the source material, a blank slate that turned out to be ideal preparation for the physical and psychological demands of making a video game horror film designed for first-person perspective immersion.

Abrams, known for roles in "Dash & Lily" and "The Summer I Turned Pretty," leads Cregger's theatrical adaptation of Capcom's landmark survival horror franchise. The actor admitted he had minimal prior knowledge of the Resident Evil games or previous film iterations before signing on. That gap in fandom proved less disadvantageous than one might expect. Instead of carrying preconceived notions about how to inhabit the protagonist, Abrams approached the role with fresh instincts calibrated to Cregger's specific vision, which prioritizes placing audiences directly into the player's point of view.

The adaptation itself represents a significant creative pivot for the franchise. Capcom has licensed Resident Evil properties across multiple mediums for decades, from the Paul W.S. Anderson film series starting in 2002 to the Netflix series that launched in 2022. But Cregger, known for founding the comedy collective sketch troupe Whitest Kids N' Brew and directing cult horror hits like "The Jackal Takes a Bath," brings distinctly different sensibilities to the material. His approach leverages the video game's inherent first-person mechanics as a narrative device rather than dismissing them as adaptation obstacles.

The physical toll of executing this vision weighed heavily on Abrams. During stunt-heavy sequences, the actor described the shoot as "harrowing," emphasizing the pressure of precision execution. "You don't wanna fuck up," Abrams explained, capturing the unforgiving nature of complex action choreography. In first-person horror cinema, mistakes become immediately visible to cameras. Abrams had to nail takes not just for performance continuity but for the immersive spatial geography that first-person storytelling demands. A stumble or misstep breaks the illusion entirely.

The Resident Evil IP carries enormous franchise weight. The games have sold over 130 million copies worldwide across multiple console generations. The 2002-2016 Anderson film series generated over $1.2 billion globally, making Resident Evil one of Hollywood's most reliable video game adaptations. The Netflix series, which premiered in July 2022, attempted to expand the mythology with a dual-timeline narrative and diverse cast while courting both longtime fans and newcomers.

Cregger's theatrical iteration places Abrams at the center of a fundamentally different experiment. Rather than traditional third-person action filmmaking or prestige television expansion, the film commits to sensory immersion through the player's literal eyes. This demands exceptional physical control from its lead actor. Every movement, stumble, and reaction registers as the audience's own body language.

The broader context matters here. Studios remain hungry for proven IP, and video game adaptations have gained credibility through projects like "The Last of Us" on HBO and the Sonic franchise's theatrical success. Horror property particularly resonates with theatrical audiences seeking communal scares. Cregger's gamble on immersive first-person filmmaking positions "Resident Evil" as an innovation in adaptation philosophy rather than a straightforward translation.

Abrams' willingness to embrace physical vulnerability, combined with his outsider perspective on the franchise, may prove essential to the film's effectiveness. Audiences recognize authenticity over fandom trivia. A lead actor genuinely discovering the world alongside viewers creates stronger emotional stakes than one performing established character beats.