Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City's sequel chances seem high, according to star Tom Hopper. The 2021 movie acted as a reboot of Constantin Films' big-screen franchise as writer/director Johannes Roberts sought to closer adapt Capcom's survival horror video games, merging the stories of the first two titles. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was set in 1998 and revolves around a group of police officers in the titular Midwestern town as it comes under siege from a zombie outbreak.
Kaya Scodelario led the cast of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City as Claire Redfield alongside Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy, Donal Logue as Chief Brian Irons and Neal McDonough as Dr. William Birkin. Hitting theaters this past November, the film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics for its lackluster writing but received praise for its faithfulness to the source material. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City would garner a modest box office haul, grossing over $41 million against its $25 million budget, and one star thinks this could lead to something further.
While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant to discuss The Umbrella Academy season 3, star Tom Hopper shared some insight for a potential Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City sequel. Though the Albert Wesker actor hasn't heard any official rumblings for the follow-up, he did confirm the studios behind the first film were pleased with how it performed and seems confident a sequel will move forward. See what Hopper said below:
"What I know is it was very successful in terms of on demand, a lot of people sat at home and watched it, so I think they're very happy over Constantin and Sony, all the guys who run that show. I certainly hope to go back and play Albert Wesker again, it ended in a way that I was like, 'Oh, I can get used to this guy.' Also, too, where he's going, I think he can be very interesting, so I certainly hope so."
As Hopper notes, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City saw its success expand to its home entertainment releases, becoming the top-rented film on VUDU in its opening weekend and going on to gross over $3 million from Blu-ray and DVD sales in the four months since hitting shelves. Though this largely falls short of the Milla Jovovich-led movies, the film's mid-pandemic release and positive fan reception to the Resident Evil reboot seems to have sat well with Sony and Constantin Films. With Hopper confirming the studio is pleased with the film's financial returns and partnering with Netflix for a Resident Evil show, it seems likely the studio will keep the ball rolling on adaptations of the game.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City left a lot of narrative threads open for a potential sequel, namely Hopper's Wesker as he was mysteriously revived by Ada Wong after being shot and killed by Hannah John-Kamen's Jill Valentine. Additionally, the cast and Roberts have teased potential sequel plans, including thoughts of adapting everything from Resident Evil 4 to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Code: Veronica. While audiences await word on the studio potentially moving forward with the sequel, they can stream Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City on Starz now.