Are you ready to head back to Raccoon City? The first trailer for the upcoming live-action film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City has arrived, relaunching the movie franchise based on the beloved video game series. Not only does this new trailer introduce the characters you'll meet in the film, but it's jammed with references to the games--from familiar names to different types of zombies and lots of Easter eggs.
In fact, this trailer is so densely packed with references, chances are you're going to miss some of them. Thankfully, GameSpot's biggest Resident Evil nerds are here to guide the way through the best Easter eggs, references, and things we learned about Welcome to Raccoon City from this trailer.
According to a synopsis from Sony, the film's Raccoon City--once the home of the Umbrella Corporation--is "now a dying Midwestern town. The company's exodus left the city a wasteland... with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, a group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night."
Written and directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down), the film stars Kaya Scodelario (Crawl), Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp), Robbie Amell (Upload), Tom Hopper (Black Sails), Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap), Donal Logue (Gotham), Chad Rook (The Flash), and Neal McDonough (Minority Report).
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hits theaters on November 24. Take a look at our breakdown of the first trailer below.
Claire Redfield
The trailer opens with a shot of Claire Redfield (Scodelario) on her motorcycle in a scene reminiscent of one in Resident Evil 2.
What a hunk
Here we see a masked man in the mask and gear of the games' Umbrella Security Service. The most famous of those guys is HUNK, a secret playable character who first appeared in Resident Evil 2.
Welcome to Raccoon City
The opening moments of the trailer reveal a sign that reads "Welcome to Raccoon City" that's also covered in graffiti referencing the Umbrella Corporation. It's a replication of the sign from the games.
Chris Redfield
We now see Claire's older brother (Amell), wondering why his sister decided to show her face in Raccoon City again.
Ben BertolucciShelter from the storm
To explain to her brother why she needs to take down Umbrella, Claire plays a video of Ben Bertolucci (Josh Cruddas) explaining what the corporation does. Ben is the journalist who Leon finds in an RPD cell in Resident Evil 2.
Shelter from the storm
It's hard to tell, given how dimly lit this shot is, but this room could certainly be Umbrella's daycare, which was seen in Resident Evil 2: Remake.
Lisa Trevor
At this point, we see someone who looks to be Lisa Trevor (Marina Mazepa) from Resident Evil: Remake. She was one of Umbrella's experiments in the first Resident Evil and became greatly mutated, but with superhuman abilities. Later in the trailer, a quick shot of Lisa's case file is seen, with it marked "DANGEROUS."
The opening of Resident Evil 2
This shot recreates an iconic moment from the opening of the second Resident Evil game, in which a tanker truck topples and crashes; in the game, it forces Leon Kennedy and Claire to separate as they make their way to the RPD headquarters.
Chief Brian Irons
Here we meet Brian Irons (Logue), chief of RPD, who also happens to be a corrupt official who takes bribes from Umbrella in the games (and uses the maze-like RPD headquarters for some seriously evil deeds). Chances are, he's not very trustworthy in the movie. Then again, this isn't Logue's first time playing a corrupt cop (Shoutout to Gotham!).
Zombie dogs
What's Resident Evil without some zombified dogs to terrorize you? These rascals are iconic from their appearances in the games, as well as the first Resident Evil movie.
Could this be Brad Vickers
Maybe we're reaching here, but this definitely looks like it could be Brad Vickers being attacked by a zombie. In the games, he's a helicopter pilot and wears a yellow vest. It looks like a yellow shirt here. In the games, Brad makes it out of the first Resident Evil but winds up a zombie at the start of RE2; doesn't appear he'll last that long in the film.
That vest
This is a cool moment for fans of Resident Evil as Claire hands Leon Kennedy (Jogia) the RPD bulletproof vest his character is seen wearing in the games.
Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine (John-Kamen) pops up a couple of times early in the trailer, most notably in a helicopter with Chris. Is this the same chopper Brad Vickers was piloting? Only time will tell.
Albert Wesker and Richard Aiken
Also in the helicopter are Albert Wesker (Hopper) and Richard Aiken (Rook), both of whom are members of the STARS (Special Tactics And Rescue Service) team in the games and this movie. Fans know what to expect from Wesker, and in the first Resident Evil game, Aiken is eaten by a large snake. So depending on how close the film will skew to those events, don't get too attached.
Spencer Mansion
If you're a Resident Evil fan, you should know this gigantic house well. Spencer Mansion is just there to, essentially, hide evidence that Umbrella is conducting illegal biological weapons tests underground.
William Birkin
Neal McDonaugh plays William Birkin in the film. This character was one of the leading virologists at Umbrella in the games and the major antagonist of Resident Evil 2.
Ashford twins
We see a bit of film of the Ashford twins, Alfred and Alexei, who were Umbrella villains introduced in CODE: Veronica. Interestingly, in the movie they seem tied to Birkin, which isn't the case in the games. While they existed simultaneously and Birkin knew of them, it's possible the film is doing some remixing on lore.
Famous last words
Once inside the mansion, Wesker offers some truly terrible advice. "We should split up," he says. When has that ever been a good idea? But fans of the game know that Wesker isn't suggesting the team separate because he wants to get to the bottom of the Spencer Mansion mystery--he has a more sinister reason for sending Chris and Jill off in different directions.
Inside Spencer Mansion
If you've played the first Resident Evil, the entryway to this mansion should look familiar. It's exciting to see it recreated for live-action.
Oh, a zombie
The trailer also shows a recreation of the first iconic shot of a zombie from Resident Evil, as the team stumbles upon a doctor snacking on a dead body. Tasty.
Bye Vickers
It certainly looks like this is Brad Vickers meeting his gory end as zombies tear into him. Sorry, bud.
Itchy Tasty
This is a pretty fun Easter egg. In the original Resident Evil game, this note is found in a journal written by one ill-fated person as they unknowingly succumb to infection by the monster-making T-Virus--it's the last entry before the author presumably completely loses their humanity. Here, Claire sees it written in blood on a window.
The Redfields
Who knows how many people survive the events of the film. It's nice to see Chris and Claire Redfield together, though, even if it's playing with the timeline of the games. In that version of the story, these two don't reunite until CODE: Veronica.
Birkin, is that you
In Resident Evil 2, Birkin transforms into a G2 monster. We can't say for sure that's what's going on here, but it certainly seems plausible and disgusting.
More proof
Placing this scene of Birkin awakening soaked in blood directly after the shot of the monster certainly makes us think we're on the right track with this one
And, of course, a Licker
You didn't expect them not to include a Licker from Resident Evil 2, did you? This scene recreates the monster's first introduction in Resident Evil 2, dropping from the ceiling of the RPD to menace Leon and Claire.
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