The beloved horror video game franchise “Resident Evil” is set to return to the big screens after Sony officially unveiled the teaser trailer last week.
While it’s not an entirely faithful adaptation of Capcom’s hugely popular games that defined a generation, director Zach Cregger promises a “big, scary ride” that should stay “true to the spirit of the games.”
Welcome back to Raccoon City
The teaser trailer opens to a young man, played by American actor Austin Abrams, trudging through the snow and into an empty house, where he tries to call a loved one to explain that “something’s happened” and that they “may not get to talk to each other again.”
It then shows him running around a seemingly abandoned city, where he discovers it is instead filled with mutant zombies, forcing him to take on one mission: Survive.
Cregger, known for critically acclaimed horror movies “Barbarian” and “Weapons,” shared his love for the games at the recent CinemaCon in Las Vegas, saying he spent the last couple of decades playing the franchise as it evolved throughout the years.
He praised its “naturally cinematic” take with its brilliant use of atmosphere, pacing, and resource management, Deadline reported.
Putting his own spin on the games in this upcoming film scheduled to release in September, Cregger said it will focus on “a protagonist on a foot journey through a world hell-bent on destroying them,” promising “no narrative acrobatics, time jumps or disorienting chapter things.”
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He further explained his work at a roundtable interview attended by Screen Rant, saying he wanted to create an original story that could fit within the realm of the game.
“I wanted to construct a story that could live in the world of ‘Resident Evil’ and be maybe on the periphery of the events of Resident Evil 2, where Raccoon City is having its big night” he said.
Adding, “but tell another story that could be happening in parallel to that that really honors the vibe and the pacing that you get when you play the games.”
New era of evil
Cregger’s new film is not the first foray into the “Resident Evil” universe based on Capcom’s beloved video game franchise.
Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez starred in the first film adaptation in 2002 with the same name, which turned into a movie franchise that produced five more films until 2017, according to Variety.
Filmmaker Johannes Roberts then tried to reboot the movie franchise in 2021 with “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.”
Capcom first released “Resident Evil” for PlayStation in 1994 and has since then garnered a cult following that has led to more than a dozen sequels and remakes.
It made waves this year with the release of “Resident Evil Requiem,” which was praised as “one of the best” by Gaming Nexus and a potential candidate for “Game of the Year” by Gamer Escape.
With its appeal as a survival horror, captured by atmospheric storytelling, diverse gameplay, and an immersive exploration of dread and suspense, it’s no wonder that plenty of filmmakers have tried their hand at adapting the games for a wider audience.
Although it’s still uncertain where Cregger’s new film fits into the overall universe – and whether devoted fans will love or hate it – one thing is for sure: a new era of evil is coming in September.
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