Caution: Spoiler Ahead for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
With Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City landing in theaters this week, some may be wondering about a potential sequel. Welcome to Raccoon City certainly sets up for a sequel in a few different ways, and there are many games to pull from in the case that one does come to fruition. There are a lot of directions Sony could decide to take with a sequel to Welcome to Raccoon City.
The new film reboots the Resident Evil film franchise with a new cast and is an attempt at bringing the big-screen adaptations closer in spirit to the original video game series than the previous Resident Evil films starring Milla Jovovich. The film contains many of the iconic cast of characters from the game series including Claire and Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Leon Kennedy. Welcome to Raccoon City is a definite step forward for the franchise overall, and leaves some room to build on the foundation it has reestablished.
Welcome to Raccoon City—in an attempt to closely follow the story of the games—uses the stories of the first two Resident Evil games as a template for this new reboot. Combining the locations of the Spencer mansion and the RCPD station into one big story makes it easier to establish all of the main characters from the Resident Evil games that are needed going forward in the franchise. Wherever Sony decides to take this story, they have much that they can pull from in the later games to make a compelling film franchise that does justice to its source material.
Is a Welcome to Raccoon City Sequel Happening?
A sequel to Welcome to Raccoon City has not been announced at this time, and Sony has yet to officially confirm any sort of development on one. While there is a definite step-up for a Welcome to Raccoon City sequel, it's quite possible that Sony wants to see how this film performs before moving forward with a followup.
Welcome to Raccoon City 2 Story Details
There are no current story details for a Welcome to Raccoon City sequel, however, its post-credits scene does tease an aspect of where the story can go. In the film's post-credits scene, Ada Wong (Lily Gao) recruits Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper) to work with her, implying that—much like in the game series—Ada and Wesker will be working as tools for Umbrella Corp, ultimately becoming secondary antagonists to the leads. This is the main set-up given for a potential Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City 2.
Which Games Could Be Adapted Next?
Considering that the ending of Welcome to Raccoon City wraps up both the stories of the first two Resident Evil games, it's likely that the events of those games will not be revisited in any capacity moving forward. If Sony is trying to adapt each of the games of the beloved game franchise, it's logical that the next film could adapt Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. But considering all main characters have been established, there's a chance that Sony could combine both the third and fourth Resident Evil games into one film as they have done with Welcome to Raccoon City.
Who Will Return?
All of the 4 principal Resident Evil characters of Welcome to Raccoon City make it out of the first film alive, so it's likely that all four actors will return to reprise their roles in the sequel. Alongside Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Hannah John-Kamen, and Avan Jogia potentially returning, Tom Hopper's Wesker and Lily Gao's Ada are likely to reprise their roles if a sequel does indeed happen.
Welcome to Raccoon City Sequel Release Date
If Sony is looking to move forward with a sequel right away, we could be looking at another Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City arriving as soon as late 2023. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem likely considering Sony has yet to announce a sequel being in the works. In the meantime, Netflix has been developing a lot of Resident Evil content for their streaming service, with another adaptation on its way in the form of a live-action series.