Prepare to enter the world of survival horror, as Constantin Films’ unveils the first official trailer for their upcoming ‘Resident Evil’ reboot, ‘Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City’. The film was originally slated to be released on September 03, 2021, but was inevitably pushed back to a release date of November 24, 2021.
The film’s director Johannes Roberts, promised that this reboot of the survival franchise would be true to the original source material and based on this first trailer that statement could not be any truer.
Just fifteen seconds into the trailer we get a call back to the events of the original ‘Resident Evil 2’ game. As we see a shot of Claire arriving at Racoon City, while the date of September 30, 1998 flashes across the screen.
Although the original date in the game was September 29, 1998. This slight change is likely due to the fact that the events in the ‘Resident Evil 2’ game took place over the course of both days.
As the trailer continues, we get to see the S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team as they arrive at the Spencer Mansion, including a scene featuring them walking into the lobby of the mansion to see the iconic staircase. The highlight of all the scenes showcasing the mansion has to be the image of the zombie slowing turning around, which fans will remember as the first time in the series we were introduced to the walking dead.
On the other end, we see Claire and Leon as they prepare to deal with the horde of the undead while trapped inside the Racoon Police Department. The highlight of this of course being the shot of the ‘Licker’ dropping down from the ceiling. (Another iconic callback to the second game)
Included in the new ‘Resident Evil’ trailer is the character of Lisa Trevor, who although absent from the original game, made her first appearance in the 2002 Gamecube remake. Lisa was an unwilling participant who after being infected with a number of different viruses, inadvertently was responsible for the creation of the infamous ‘G-Virus’.
Also featured in the trailer is a quick shot of what appears to be the mutated version of William Birkin. With images of him in his human form (played by Neal McDonough) appearing earlier in the trailer.
The trailer also appears to show the two Redfield siblings sharing scenes with each other. This is clearly original content, as the two didn’t officially reunite until the fourth game in the series, ‘Resident Evil – Code: Veronica’. Claire shows her brother a tape of Ben Bertolucci who alerts them of the outbreak. (Fans of the series will remember him as the journalist who Leon and Ada first discovered locked in a jail cell at the RPD)
It’s evident by the trailer that this reboot of the survival horror game will be much darker and rooted more in horror than any of the other previous installments in the franchise.
The official synopsis for ‘Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City’ is as follows:
“Set in 1998, this origin story explores the secrets of the mysterious Spencer Mansion and the ill-fated Raccoon City.”
The cast includes Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy, Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, Donal Logue as Chief Brian Irons, Nathan Dales as Brad Vickers, Neal McDonough as William Birkin, Marina Mazepa as Lisa Trevor, Lily Gao as Ada Wong, Janet Porter as Annette Birkin, Holly de Barros as Sherry Birkin, Josh Cruddas as Ben Bertolucci and Chad Rook as Richard Aiken
As additional information on the film continues to be announced HorrorFacts will be sure to report it.
