Based upon the particular characters and events that are seen co-existing at the same time, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is set to be a mix-and-match grab-bag of Resident Evil's original two games. However, fans are spotting some interesting things in the movie's international trailer.
Two cinematic trailers have now debuted for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. The domestic trailer is concentrated on sharing brief action sequences with little context to the film's overarching narrative, while the international trailer concentrates on the film's plot and portrays more of certain characters and their roles. Oddly enough, there are scenes shown in the international trailer that clash with scenes shown in the domestic trailer, and entirely new sequences are also present.
Most notably, the way the domestic trailer is edited makes it look like a lone Claire Redfield, played by Kaya Scodelario, rides her motorcycle into Raccoon City, similar to how she arrives in Resident Evil 2. However, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City's international trailer opens with Claire seemingly hitchhiking her way into Raccoon City with a semi-truck driver who happens to have with him a Doberman Pinscher, and who also appears to be the same driver who delivers the iconic "Why'd he bite me?" line from Resident Evil 2.
Interestingly, the driver's yellow plaid shirt might identify him as Robert Kendo. If true, the character's original role has been completely reworked to suit the film's amalgamated narrative, though this could simply be a coincidence. The international trailer shows Holly de Barros' Sherry Birkin actually interacting with her father, William Birkin, who is played by Neal McDonough. This insinuates that fans might get to see more of an established father-daughter relationship between the two before he mutates.
Avan Jogia's Leon S. Kennedy is seen interacting with Donal Logue's Chief Brian Irons, who also appears in a shot of the Raccoon City Police Department's grand lobby with Claire and Leon. Irons announces himself as his character on a police radio, and more is revealed from a scene in the precinct's parking lot where Irons faces off against the Doberman, who is seen licking zombie flesh from asphalt.
Based on the enormous eyeballs emerging from flesh tissue, one of the international trailer's final shots reveals a horrific interpretation of one of William Birkin's mutations, which was not featured in the other trailer. This design is noticeably different from Birkin's traditional mutations, while the iconic Licker and common zombies are one-to-one in terms of how comparable they are to their appearances in Resident Evil 2.
Both trailers suggest that Claire seeks out the help of her brother, Chris, who is played by Robbie Amell. Chris heads to the Spencer Mansion while she heads to the RCPD, highlighting how the original games are blended in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City releases on November 24.