After a long wait, Sony, Constantin Films, and Screen Gems finally unveiled the first preview trailer of the upcoming film, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Releasing on November 24, the forthcoming movie promises to be a faithful adaptation of the Resident Evil video game franchise made by Capcom.
Judging by the trailer, it appears that the movie is indeed more faithful compared to the existing Resident Evil film franchise. Throughout the preview, players will see several references from the Resident Evil video games, such as the main hall of the Spencer Mansion, the R.P.D., the first zombie scene, and many more. However, eagle-eyed fans probably noticed a specific easter egg in the trailer, suggesting that the sequel to Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (if there's going to be one) could follow the events of Resident Evil: Code Veronica.
Claire Appears To Have a Bigger Role Out of All The Main Game Characters
As teased before, all four primary characters of the Resident Evil video game franchise, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Claire Redfield, are playing significant roles in the film. However, the way the trailer was presented, it appears that Claire Redfield will be playing a more prominent role, and the preview confirmed that her story would be drastically different compared to the video games.
It is worth remembering that in the Resident Evil 2 game, the reason Claire visited Raccoon City was to search for her brother Chris. However, the trailer shows that Claire and Chris are already together, and a specific scene in the trailer makes it appear that Claire is the one convincing Chris about the bioweapons research of Umbrella. This suggests that Claire already has this critical information before the Raccoon City outbreak.
It remains a mystery how Claire obtained this information about Umbrella before Chris. But, it is possible that the dialogue between the siblings could be referring to something else that is yet to be revealed. Whatever it may be, the trailer heavily suggests that Claire will play a significant role in the upcoming film, which is why it wouldn't be surprising if the sequel will be based on Resident Evil: Code Veronica.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica Reference
Apart from Claire's bigger role, a particular easter egg in the trailer supports the Code Veronica theory. In one scene, Claire and Leon are seen watching a roll of film that is made similar to the one showing the Ashford twins Claire saw in Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Although it is difficult to figure out why the film is in Raccoon City and why William Birkin is there, the trailer did confirm that the film reel is about the twins, given that the camera panned to a film case labeled "Ashford Twins."
For the uninitiated, Alfred and Alexia Ashford are descendants of Edward Ashford, one of the founders of the Umbrella Corporation. The twins served as the main villains in Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which occurred several months after the destruction of Raccoon City. Given that Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City already covers the Mansion Incident and the Raccoon City outbreak, Code Veronica is the natural sequel if the film franchise follows the timeline of the video games. But, of course, this could mean that the film may be skipping Resident Evil 3.
What About Resident Evil 3?
Although Jill Valentine is present in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, the trailer doesn't show any scenes referring to her escape from the city, nor her encounter with the iconic Nemesis, as chronicled in Resident Evil 3. Based on the video game franchise's lore, Resident Evil 3 occurred before and after Resident Evil 2. Given that the movie also revolves around the second game, RE3's story may already be integrated into the film. However, there is one problem with this theory, given that the trailer makes it appear that the Mansion Incident (RE1) and the Raccoon City outbreak (RE2 and RE3) are happening simultaneously.
Assuming that this is true, there is no way that Jill could be in Raccoon City, given that the trailer clearly shows her in the Spencer Mansion with Chris and other members of S.T.A.R.S. Of course, the movie may revolve around the Raccoon City outbreak, and the scenes showing the Mansion Incident are flashbacks. However, this doesn't explain why Chris is unaware of Umbrella's involvement and why Claire had to convince him of the corporation's evil plot.
In the end, it remains to be seen whether Resident Evil 3 and the iconic Nemesis will be depicted in the upcoming movie. However, based on the trailer showing Claire's bigger role and the subtle reference about the Ashford twins, it is possible that the sequel to Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City may chronicle the events of Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which is a good thing since a Code Veronica remake may not be Capcom's priority right now.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City premieres on November 24, 2021.