Sony's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City serves as a reboot of the Resident Evil film franchise, and features a strong cast portraying many of the iconic characters from the popular Resident Evil game series. Directed by Johannes Roberts, Welcome to Raccoon City looks to take the film franchise in a direction which is more faithful to its source material than the long-running action franchise starring Milla Jovovich, focusing on characters from the first two games in the series and recreating many of the exact locations from those games in the process. It's an exciting new chapter in Resident Evil's transition to the big screen, and offers up a lot of strong casting choices to be curious about.
Welcome to Raccoon City follows Claire Redfield, who returns to her childhood home of Raccoon City in search of answers to a mystery surrounding the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical giant that may be responsible for the city's declined state. Raccoon City is a now a wasteland, with only a few people remaining—one of them being Claire's brother Chris, a Raccoon City police officer. Along with other iconic characters from the Resident Evil games, they must uncover Umbrella's harmful secrets before it is too late.
This latest of the Resident Evil game series is both tonally and visually accurate to its source material, paying tribute to the games in a very respectful manner. There are a ton of little details and character moments that gamers can appreciate while the film also tells its own contained story that combines elements of the stories in the first two games. It's a loving homage to those two games especially, and does justice to its all-star cast of characters. Here's a guide to the cast and characters of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and what they've been in before.
Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield
Kaya Scodelario's Claire Redfield is the lead protagonist of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and is the thread to connecting the stories of the first two Resident Evil games, as she is one of the two main leads in Resident Evil 2. Claire is strong-willed and has a fighting personality, as well as a deep compassion for others. She's insistent on stopping Umbrella at all costs and always puts the larger picture of humanity above her own interests. She encapsulates a long range of emotions ranging from fear, anger and sadness, but also has a snarky quip at hand to level the mood of the situation. Kaya Scodelario is known primarily for her role of Teresa in the Maze Runner trilogy. She has also been seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, as well as 2019's horror-thriller Crawl.
Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield
Robbie Amell plays Chris Redfield, one of the two iconic lead characters from the original Resident Evil game. Chris is a stoic force to be reckoned with, but cares deeply about his friends and family around him. He's not above dropping the occasional one-liner but still keeps his mission as the focus, and is willing to give his life for those he cares about. In Welcome to Raccoon City, he and Claire have been estranged for years, so the two siblings are not as close as they may be in the games, but it's clear that Chris still cares about his sister and feels the need to protect her as well as his fellow officers. This includes Jill Valentine, whom Chris has romantic feelings for but is unable to confess them. Robbie Amell has quite a few notable roles, such as Connor Reed in the sci-fi film Code 8, as well as Max in The Babysitter franchise.
Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy
Leon Kennedy is quite possibly the most iconic character in the entirety of the Resident Evil franchise, and in Welcome to Raccoon City, and Avan Jogia's portrayal of the character is very similar to that of Leon's character in Resident Evil 2. He's a rookie cop who is unsure of his direction in life. He'll crack jokes and tries to let loose but is also trying to put his life together with what will hopefully be a new start for him. Leon is often used as a punching bag to those around him and feels that he must prove himself as a worthy officer on the force. Jogia's portrayal of Leon is a welcome addition to the Resident Evil film franchise and does justice to the original character's personality, which gamers should be pleased with in particular. Avan Jogia can also be seen in 2019's Zombieland: Double Tap, as well as Shaft, released the same year.
Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine served as one of the two leads of the original Resident Evil game alongside Chris Redfield. In Welcome to Raccoon City, Hannah John-Kamen's portrayal of the iconic video game heroine once again serves as a a partner to Chris, as well as Albert Wesker. Jill is a loyal friend and teammate to her fellow officers and has a close relationship with them all. Much like Chris, she is willing to lay down her own life to protect those she cares about. She's very sarcastic but also very smooth and confident in her abilities, and this is shown in both versions of the character. Hannah John-Kamen does a superb job as Jill and truly brings the character to life, which should be no surprise considering her resume. Kamen is most known for her role as Ava/Ghost in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp, as well as secondary antagonist Zandor in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, an adaptation of the book of the same name. She also has a supporting role in 2018's Tomb Raider film adaptation.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Supporting Cast
Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker - A main antagonist in the Resident Evil game series, Albert Wesker gets his origin story here. He's a partner in the force alongside Chris and Jill, much like his video game counterpart, and has a dark secret to hide. Hopper is most known for his role as Billy Bones in HBO's Black Sails, as well as being the second actor to portray the character of Dickon Tarly in HBO's Game of Thrones.
Neal McDonough as William Birkin - Much like his Resident Evil 2 counterpart, Neal McDonough's Birkin serves as a lead antagonist in Welcome to Raccoon City. He's a scientist working for Umbrella, testing his experiments on unwilling subjects and doing the dirty bidding of the aforementioned corporation. McDonough is known for his role of Fletcher in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, as well as a supporting role as Mayor Bennington in 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog.
Donal Logue as Chief Brian Irons - Surprisingly, Chief Irons gets a solid supporting role in Welcome to Raccoon City and perhaps has even more screentime this time around than in the games. He's the sarcastic, angry police chief trope seen in many films, shows, and games involving police officers, but he gets the job done with some excellent quips aimed at Avan Jogia's Leon. Logue is primarily known for his supporting role of Quinn in 1998's Blade starring Wesley Snipes. His other film credits include Reindeer Games starring Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron, and Just Like Heaven starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Small Roles
Holly de Barros as Sherry Birkin - Although her role is small, Sherry Birkin still plays a similar role in the story of Welcome to Raccoon City as she does in Resident Evil 2. She is the young daughter of William Birkin and is a character of which both the film and game's heroes must save in light of her father's wrongdoings. She may not have a huge role, but Holly de Barros does a good job in staying faithful to the character from the game. Holly de Barros is a newcomer and this is her first film credit, although she has a bright career ahead of her.
Marina Mazepa as Lisa Trevor - In Welcome to Raccoon City, Lisa Trevor is a small but integral role for Claire's story, a role she did not previously serve in the games. Trevor is a result of the human experiments done by Umbrella and, in the games, appears in both the Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Marina Mazepa is no stranger to the horror genre, with her other acting credits being for films like James Wan's 2021 horror film Malignant, as well as The Unholy starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, yet another 2021 horror flick.
Josh Cruddas as Ben Bertolucci - Much like his video game counterpart, Josh Cruddas' Ben Bertolucci is a freelance journalist who is attempting to unearth the shady plots underneath Umbrella's shiny exterior and expose their evil schemes. He doesn't have much screentime at all, but the essence of his character from the games is still intact. Josh Cruddas' other credits include Netflix film Polar, along with Apple TV+ series Ghostwriter.
Lily Gao as Ada Wong - While relegated to a post-credits tease, fan-favorite character Ada Wong does have a small role in Welcome to Raccoon City. In her one scene, she recruits Albert Wesker, showing that she does seem to resemble the Ada from the games. Ada works for Umbrella but throughout the games will constantly help bail Leon Kennedy out of dire situations, so it's nice to see her even if it's not a very big role. Lily Gao's other acting credits include the series Chapelwaite and 2018 indie sci-fi film Kin.
Fans of the games will notice many different characters they know from the games in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Welcome to Raccoon City stays faithful to the original games in terms of the tone, atmosphere, and especially the characters. It respects the legacy of this beloved cast of characters while also tries to create its own path forward to a potential franchise, which with a cast as stacked as this, should be no issue.