Resident Evil remains one of Capcom's crown jewels with many games, comics, and feature films under its umbrella. However, it appears that 2021 will be huge for the Resident Evil franchise, given the many projects coming to the series, including Resident Evil 8, a Netflix animated series based on the games, and a film reboot.
Now, among all the projects coming to the Resident Evil franchise, the film reboot may capture the attention of fans, given the leaked photos that give a glimpse of what the movie will cover. The upcoming live-action film has also revealed the actors in the movie, and it appears that the major characters in the video game franchise will be the focus of the film. Now, a part from what has been revealed so far about the upcoming movie, here are some things that we want to see in the Resident Evil film reboot.
A More Faithful Adaptation
Initially, the first set of Resident Evil live-action movies were based on the game's events, but its plot quickly went in a different direction. Hopefully, the upcoming film adaptation will be more faithful to its source material. This is not to say that the upcoming Resident Evil movie reboot should be a shot-for-shot remake of the games; instead, the film's producers should identify the core elements of what made the Resident Evil games popular in the first place and use those as inspiration for the film.
At the moment, the exact plot of the upcoming movie remains a mystery. However, based on the leak photos from the film's set, it appears that it will be more faithful than the Anderson films. A good example of this is the RPD. In the leaked Resident Evil movie photo, the police station's front courtyard bears a striking resemblance to the one found in Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes, which puts the film in the right direction. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the film will cover the infamous mansion incident, but it is still possible that the film will depict the Spencer Mansion in passing. It is likely that there are no photos of the mansion because it is being filmed inside a studio rather than an outdoor location.
A Better Representation of Video Game Characters
Another pain point that Resident Evil fans had with the Anderson live-action movies is its depiction of game characters. Apart from Claire Redfield, and in some capacity, Jill Valentine, most of the game characters that appeared in the films were only featured for the sake of attracting Resident Evil's massive fan base. Although Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy appeared in the films, their characters did not significantly impact the plot, and they even disappeared in succeeding films without any proper explanation.
So far, it appears that the reboot will indeed focus on the game characters for the upcoming live-action film. As previously mentioned, the capacity of their roles in the movie is still unknown. Still, it is likely that Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Leon Kennedy will be the primary protagonists of the film adaptation, with Albert Wesker and William Birkin serving as the main antagonists.
A New Storyline That Works Well with Established Lore
Of course, given that the film reboot is a separate project that is likely independent from Capcom's established lore, the reboot has the perfect opportunity to introduce new storylines that will complement instead of replacing the existing plot of the video games. Film producers could develop the main characters more and portray them from a different perspective that would further flesh out their personalities and key character traits. The film reboot could also introduce a new character that would be featured alongside the video game franchise's main heroes, offering viewers a fresh perspective on the universe of Resident Evil.
Resident Evil will premiere in theaters in 2021.