New Resident Evil Movie Drops First Look At Leon, Claire And A Freaky AF Monster

In case you’ve forgotten in the haze of world events and the flurry of recent activity that’s been going on in the world of movies, a Resident Evil reboot is still on its way. Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is writer/director Johannes Roberts’ big reboot of the Sony action-horror franchise, based on Capcom’s best selling video game series. Now we have our first look at classic characters like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, as well as a freaky monster that diehard fans are going to be excited to see.

The first three photos from Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City were released to the world by Sony Pictures, and it's a welcomed break from the silence surrounding this November theatrical release. Showing Resident Evil 2 characters Leon S. Kennedy (Avan Jogia) and Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario) making their way through a tunnel underneath Raccoon City, it’s hard not to feel a little nostalgia for the 1998 Capcom game, which saw itself remade in recent years as well. Take a look at that photo for yourself below:

Avan Jogia and Kaya Scodelario wandering armed through a hallway in Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City.

Though that’s nothing compared to what the remaining two photos in the first look lineup have to show. In fact, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City has your first look at some legacy characters from the first Resident Evil game as well. Which makes this next photo even more of a nostalgia bomb, as new incarnations of Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper), Richard Aiken (Chad Rook), Jill Valentine (Hannah John-Kamen) and Chris Redfield (Robbie Amell) are all present and accounted for.

Tom Hopper, Chad Rook, Hannah John-Kamen, and Robbie Amell checking out the mansion lobby in Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City.

Don’t get too distracted by the ridiculously good looking cast, dear readers. Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is, after all, a movie about trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. As such, monsters are lurking around every corner thanks to an accidental outbreak of the Umbrella Corporation bioweapon known as the T-Virus. It’s a nightmare that’s partially thanks to the experiments run on poor Lisa Trevor, one of the first test subjects used in Umbrella’s evil schemes. As a result, Ms. Trevor isn’t quite who she used to be, as seen in our final photo:

Lisa Trevor, masked and bound, in Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City.

While the film still has a rather cumbersome title, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is more than ready to dive into the lore that’s been entertaining fans of the games for 25 years. As 2021 marks that particular anniversary for director Shinji Mikami’s horror landmark, now’s the perfect time for a movie that looks to tie the stories of Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 into a singular cinematic experience. All that’s left now is for an official trailer to drop, and we’ll be off to the undead races when it comes to this particular hype machine.

Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City ushers in a new era of undead horror on November 24. However, there’s plenty of other action that you can scare up at the movies before the year is out. Let the 2021 release schedule help you map out your next adventure at a theater near you. And we promise, there’s no cryptic puzzles or key hunting needed to see what’s on the cinematic horizon.

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.