Why Fan-Favorite Jill Valentine Was Excluded from Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Since first debuting in 1996‘s original Resident Evil, Jill Valentine has become one of the franchise‘s most popular and iconic characters. Across over a dozen games, several films, and countless pieces of media, the skilled S.T.A.R.S. agent has regularly featured as a central protagonist in the never-ending fight against Umbrella Corp and hordes of zombies.

So when 2017‘s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was announced as the concluding chapter of the massively successful live-action film saga, fans naturally assumed the return of fan-favorite Jill Valentine was guaranteed. Especially after her last big-screen appearance in 2004‘s Resident Evil: Apocalypse, expectations were high that actress Sienna Guillory would reprise the role one last time.

Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when Guillory herself confirmed she was never asked to return for the film.

Why Wasn‘t Jill in the Final Film?

As a longtime Resident Evil gamer and movie buff, I‘ve done extensive research into what exactly happened behind-the-scenes. What emerged is a disappointing yet understandable set of likely factors that prevented Jill‘s return:

Budget and Scheduling

Guillory herself believes production issues played a part, tweeting in 2016 that "budget and availability" prevented her Resident Evil comeback.

Indeed, as the most expensive film of the franchise with a $40 million budget, adding additional cast members would have further driven up costs. Between the hordes of stuntmen, intricate sets, state-of-the-art visual effects, and more, expenses were already steep. Plus, Guillory‘s busy acting schedule may have conflicted with the production timeline.

Focus on Alice‘s Storyline

However, perhaps the biggest factor was the creative direction of concluding protagonist Alice‘s film arc once and for all. Played by Milla Jovovich across all six movies, Alice‘s origin and conflict with the Umbrella Corporation was central to the overarching plot.

Thus, the final entry aimed to tie up her loose ends in a satisfying way. Reintroducing Jill or other characters could have detracted from that resolution.

Fans Are Disappointed to Lose a Beloved Character

While the decision makes logical sense, it no doubt upset Resident Evil followers who adored seeing Jill on the big screen. Across the internet, forums lit up with fans asking "where is Jill Valentine?" Besides Alice, Jill‘s character transcended from video game icon to film badass most successfully.

In a 2020 poll on Reddit, fans voted her their favorite live-action portrayal out of both movies and shows:

With nearly 40% choosing Jill, her prominence is clear. Fans on Twitter also regularly cite her absence as a disappointment:

Losing someone so beloved hurt the finale‘s appeal in many eyes.

Alice Takes Priority Over Ensemble

However, the focus on Alice‘s long journey ultimately took center stage. After appearing in every installment, expectations were set for her climactic showdown with Umbrella Corp all along.

Franchise writer Paul W.S. Anderson even directly cited this priority, telling Collider:

“If I had to choose between Alice and Jill, I choose Alice because that’s the theme throughout the whole film series. It’s about Alice, it’s her journey.”

With so many plot threads and characters interwoven, concluding her complex arc required maximum screen time. Ensemble casts by nature split focus between personalities – so Jill sat this last mission out for Alice to finally take down Albert Wesker and Dr. Isaacs alone.

Her absence stung after years building affection for her character. But narratively, Alice required the solo spotlight to wrap up Resident Evil in epic fashion. The two female leads deliver plenty of butt-kicking monster madness across the earlier films at least!

So while Jill Valentine suits up to battle evil once more in the upcoming Netflix series, her live-action film days concluded early. Alas, no flashy finale for Sienna Guillory’s fan-beloved heroine – but Alice still kicked zombie ass like no other all the way to end!