Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot has found its Leon Kennedy, and the internet has opinions.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Austin Abrams—best known as sweet, doomed high schooler Ethan from "Euphoria" and the unlikely action lead of "Wolfs"—is in final talks to suit up as the franchise's most beloved rookie cop.
The movie hits theaters September 18, 2026, and casting news this specific never stays quiet for long.
Here's the twist that's actually fueling the discourse: this one reportedly pulls from "Resident Evil 0," the prequel where rookie S.T.A.R.S. medic Rebecca Chambers teams with escaped convict Billy Coen on a train crawling with zombies.
So either the movie is mashing timelines together, or Leon's role is smaller than fans are assuming.
The fan reaction split almost immediately.
One camp wanted a fresh face—someone unknown enough to become Leon, the way Milla Jovovich once became Alice.
The other camp thinks Abrams is too soft-spoken for a character who's supposed to be a cocky, floppy-haired rookie who somehow survives Raccoon City on pure luck and one-liners.
Neither side is wrong yet, because nobody has seen a frame.
What's working in the movie's favor is Cregger himself.
He directed "Barbarian," one of the nastiest, funniest horror movies of the decade, and he's said in interviews that he wants to go back to the games' survival-horror roots—tight spaces, scarce ammo, actual dread.
Anderson movies that turned the franchise into glossy sci-fi action, a return to claustrophobic horror is the pitch fans have been begging for since 2002.
The timing is brutal in a good way. "The Last of Us" proved mainstream audiences will show up for grim, character-driven zombie storytelling. "28 Years Later" cleaned up at the box office this summer.
Horror is having a moment, and Resident Evil is arguably the biggest untapped IP in the genre.
There's also the streaming angle to watch.
Netflix's "Resident Evil" series got axed after one season in 2022, and the less said about "Welcome to Raccoon City," the better.
This reboot is Sony's chance to do theatrically what nobody has managed since Jovovich's original: make a movie that both gamers and casual horror fans actually want to see.
September 2026 is a long way off, but the casting news cycle has begun, and Leon was always going to be the flashpoint.
If Abrams lands it, he becomes the face of a franchise that has survived six films, a reboot, a Netflix show, and endless fan arguments.
Our take: casting discourse is almost always louder than the movie deserves, but this one matters.
Leon is the character fans project onto most, and getting him wrong is the fastest way to lose the room before a single zombie shows up.
Final Thoughts
Cregger has earned the benefit of the doubt—now Abrams has to earn it too.