Austin Abrams is set to take on a horde of undead zombies in the upcoming Resident Evil reboot, which is seemingly poised to tell a standalone story focused primarily on his character. The star is no stranger to battling zombies as he previously appeared in two seasons of AMC's hit horror series The Walking Dead but the creatures he will battle in the upcoming film may given even the walkers a run for their money when it comes to terrifying - emphasis on the "run".
However, during filming Abrams narrowly avoided an accident that could have had disastrous consequences, as revealed by director Zach Cregger himself. And it turns out that it was while filming one of the most recognizable shots from the film's trailer.
Zach Cregger explains Austin Abrams' near-death experience in Resident Evil
In the first trailer for Zach Cregger's Resident Evil, there is a scene in which the protagonist, Bryan (played by Austin Abrams), is seen running desperately through the streets of Raccoon City as a horde of zombified bodies fall from the skyscrapers around him. The undead creatures are trying to get to him, but also seemingly plummeting to their own demises in the process.
In order to create that scene, Cregger reveals that they opted against using visual effects and CGI to bring it to life, instead opting to do it as realistically as possible. Speaking to an audience who attended a special screening of Resident Evil's first 20 minutes, which was succeeded by a Q&A with the director (via Slash Film), Cregger revealed that they used "body-sized blood bags" to pull it off. However, he also opened up about how one of the 150-pound bags came dangerously close to killing Abrams:
"It would've killed him. If he had been one step to the right, he would've died. [The shot is] in the movie, so it's f***ing worth it. I was pretty stunned [...]Â That's what's so great about making movies is you have this scene, you have this amazing idea in your head, and then you just have all these people help you realize that idea and immortalize it on the screen. And there's a real sense of teamwork and accomplishment. I'm very proud of this movie. I feel like I grew a lot making it, just as a filmmaker."
Needless to say, we're glad to hear that Abrams was not seriously injured during the filming of that scene. While it's a bonus that the scene happens to look pretty amazing - both according to Cregger and fans who have watched that vivid first trailer - we're still very glad to hear that he's fine. And speaking of that scene, here is a still from that exact moment:
That was undoubtedly one of the most talked-about moments from the trailer and it certainly goes a long way in highlighting just how terrifying the thought of being stranded in an empty city full of, well, the walking dead would be. The film is set during the events of the Resident Evil 2 video game of 1998 and it essentially showcases the origins of the outbreak in Raccoon City - where medical courier Bryan unfortunately finds himself when completing one last mission before what was supposed to be the end of his shift.
Abrams is no stranger to zombie apocalypses, however, as one of his earliest roles came on The Walking Dead, where he played Ron Anderson in the fifth and sixth seasons of the show. The character was among the initial residents of the Alexandria Safe Zone, where he lived with his mother Jessie, his father Pete, and his younger brother Sam. They became fixtures of the show when Rick Grimes and his group of survivors joined the community. And when Rick caught onto the fact that Pete was abusing his wife and sons, he ended up clashing with him.
Although Ron was also abused by his father, he never stopped seeing him as someone to be looked up to - even after community leader Deanna ordered Rick to kill him after he killed her husband Reg. The character found himself in the crosshairs of Rick's son Carl due to both competing for the affections of Enid and he simply couldn't take the fact that he lost that battle too. In the end, the violent deaths of his family resulted in him pulling a gun on Rick when surrounded by a horde of walkers. Michonne killed him with her blade, resulting in Ron accidentally shooting Carl in the eye before he died.
Although Ron didn't stick around for long, he ended up making a lasting impression on viewers as he was responsible for Carl's signature injury - which has gone down in history as one of the most infamous moments of the show. And the character's short-lived time on The Walking Dead ended up setting Abrams on a trajectory that would not only return him to the horror genre, but the zombie one too.
The TWD Universe is renowned for its star-power, making household names out of some up-and-comers and relying on major names from time-to-time, too. Abrams can now add his name to the former category as he has become a leading man in the years since his time on the show.
We're very thankful that he's okay after the set mishap and can't wait to see him back in action fighting zombies when Resident Evil arrives in movie theaters on September 18.
Add us as a preferred source on Google