Tom Hopper caused some confusion for his The Umbrella Academy fans when he first posted a trailer for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Hopper is an English actor best known for his role as Luther Hagreeves in the Netflix original series Umbrella Academy. Prior to his lead role in Umbrella Academy, he boasted several appearances in popular TV series such as Merlin, Doctor Who, and Game of Thrones. Recently, he appeared alongside Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and also starred in the newly released Resident Evil film.
Hopper will be reprising his role as Hargreeves for Umbrella Academy season 3, which is set to release in 2022. While he is continuously rising through the ranks of Hollywood, his performance in Umbrella Academy remains one of his most lovable roles. As the oldest, number 1, super-powered Hargreeves, Luther leads the rest of the crew with an older brother sentiment and muscles of steel. However, behind that burly appearance, he is simply a tender, sheepish, hopeless romantic who strives to please everyone. Hopper boasts over 1 million followers on Instagram, including numerous Umbrella Academy fans who are anxious for updates on the next season.
As reported by EW, Hopper revealed he initially confused his followers who mistook his Resident Evil trailer for an update on Umbrella Academy's next season. The mix-up occurred due to the fact that there is a villainous organization named the Umbrella Corp in Resident Evil, denoted by an umbrella logo. When sharing the trailer, Hopper included #umbrella in his post as a nod to the Umbrella Corp. This led to some mistaking the Resident Evil trailer as a trailer for Umbrella Academy's next season. Check out his statement below:
Everyone saw the #Umbrella on the [hash]tag. Everyone was like, 'Ooh! It's for the new season of the show!' I get it. If you have no idea about Resident Evil and you were an Umbrella Academy fan, it would be very confusing.
While the trailer caused some initial confusion, it is fairly apparent that Resident Evil and Umbrella Academy share few similarities aside from umbrella references. Hopper stars in the film as Albert Wesker, a double agent who tries to survive a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City alongside a group of fellow survivors. The film is adapted from a video game of the same name released by Capcom. While the Umbrella Academy features apocalypses, some extraterrestrial creatures, and talking goldfishes, a zombie outbreak is a little outside of their usual realm. While the mix-up is comical, it is certainly understandable in the world of web sleuthing and viewers who simply want an update on their favorite show.
Umbrella Academy and Resident Evil coincidently feature groups that utilize the word and imagery of an umbrella, but it is merely a coincidence and not a secret hint at any relation between the two. Hopper is part of the fierce Umbrella Academy fandom, but his career is continuing to grow as he hits the big screen. It is actually very fortunate that the two franchises are unrelated as viewers get the chance to see Hopper in an entirely different multi-faceted role where he plays an antagonist rather than a lovable hero. Luther quite clearly holds a special place among Hopper's fans, but the role is only a starting point as he continues to build his career. Hopper will be back as Luther in The Umbrella Academy next year, but for now, the focus is on Resident Evil: Raccoon City where his fans can see him in an entirely new light on the big screen.
Source: EW