Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Kaya Scodelario says she wants to change Claire Redfield's story from the games. The upcoming movie from director Johannes Roberts is the latest adaptation of the popular Resident Evil video game franchise, and serves as a reboot of the previous film series starring Milla Jovovich. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is scheduled for theatrical release on November 24.
The film's writer-director Roberts is a horror filmmaker best known for 47 Meters Down and The Strangers: Prey at Night. Welcome to Raccoon City is set in 1998 and explores the epicenter of the T-Virus outbreak through the eyes of popular game characters Claire and Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, William Birkin, and Albert Wesker. Initial trailers for the film have already shown off a dark, violent tone with some truly horrifying zombie creatures.
In an exclusive interview with SR, Scodelario reveals that she would love to have her character, Claire, depart from her depiction in the games. Welcome to Raccoon City adapts the story of the first two Resident Evil games, but, as Scodelario says, Claire gets somewhat "sidelined" in future installments. Should she get the chance to return for a sequel, she would like to see Claire play a bigger role. Check out Scodelario's full comment below:
I'd love to see something new. I think, unfortunately, Claire gets a little bit sidelined in the games, and I'm not ready to let her go yet. I think she's got more to do. She's definitely got more of a mission. I'd love to see her team up with Joe. I'd love to see her explore her relationship with her brother some more. I think she's got a long way to go, and I'd be really excited to step into those boots.
While a sequel to Welcome to Raccoon City is likely dependent upon how well it performs at the box office, it certainly seems like Scodelario wants to see the story continued. After featuring prominently in the first few games in the series, Claire does start to exist more in the periphery of the Resident Evil universe as new characters and plot threads are introduced. It remains to be seen what role Claire will play in Welcome to Raccoon City, but marketing material suggests she will be front and center for most of it.
As a storytelling medium, video games are very different from movies, and while making room for new protagonists might have made sense for the games, keeping Claire Redfield in the center of the story might actually be the best move if future Resident Evil films are developed. Although Paul W.S. Anderson's previous movies were almost all critically panned, they were successes at the box office, and Jovovich was very much the centerpiece of the entire franchise. If Welcome to Raccoon City makes Claire as likable and exciting to watch as Jovovich's Alice, there's a good chance that audiences won't care if departures from the game are made to further explore Scodelario's character.
