Plenty of movies have been made by the fans for the fans, and that definitely wrings true of upcoming video game adaptation Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
Writer and director Johannes Roberts, along with multiple cast members including Robbie Amell, Tom Hooper and Avan Jogia, have all been fans of the console series dating back decades. With that in mind, you can guarantee they’ll be pulling out all of the stops to deliver a superior reboot for both themselves and the legions of Resident Evil fans around the world.
Ahead of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City‘s release this coming Wednesday, We Got This Covered had the chance to speak to Robbie Amell about the movie, how it felt to be a lifelong fan acting against the locations you grew up watching, and we even managed to sneak in an update on Netflix sci-fi sequel Code 8: Part II, which you can check out below.
As someone who grew up playing the games, probably too much, did you ever have to pinch yourself or find yourself getting a little too carried away when you were on set living something that you’d spent so much time on in your younger days?
Robbie Amell: There were definitely a lot of surreal moments. The main one that stands out for me is the first time I walked into the Spencer Mansion set. It was just like, I mean, it’s so dead on from the game. Johannes got the blueprints from Capcom for the Spencer Mansion. And for the police station, it’s just like, it was so surreal. And I had like an out of body experience. It was very cool.
Having spoken to Tom and Avan, they were saying they were noticing things that maybe one or two people in the audience would get when they watched the film for the first time. That’s the level of detail and commitment that’s gone into it, so it must have been great for you three being part of the cast and huge fans of the series?
Robbie Amell: It’s crazy. I mean, you know, fans of the games are gonna lose their minds when they see this movie. And they’re not gonna see it, they’re not going to catch everything in the first, or second, or third go.
So when you were a player, did you always see yourself as a Chris Redfield? Or was there another character you identified stronger with?
Robbie Amell: I kind of look enough like him that I always played as him! It was kind of handed to me on that one. So I was always a Chris Redfield, when he was available.
During your career, horror and action aren’t too genres that you’ve spent a great deal of time working on. So it must have been a blast to put the two together on something like Resident Evil, especially in the third act when the you know what really hits the fan?
Robbie Amell: Yeah, it was. It was awesome. I mean, I’ve had a lot of fun doing The Babysitter and stuff like that, and I’ve had a little, little dose of action, but it was really cool to get to, you know, live out my kind of action hero dream, and fight a bunch of zombies.
Do you have a personal favorite scene, moment, storyline, monster, or supporting character from the games that you’d love to see up close and personal in a Resident Evil sequel?
Robbie Amell: I mean… Sadly, I’m a big fan of the Licker. I was really hoping to have some scenes, but I missed out on the Licker this time around. So, you know, maybe down the road.
You’re on a good run of luck at the moment; Upload was renewed for a second season a week after the first one dropped, and Code 8 is getting a sequel at Netflix. So you must be confident that you’re winning streak is going to continue with a string of Resident Evil movies?
Robbie Amell: God, I hope so! I hope you’re right. I mean, I had a blast shooting it. I would love to continue making it. So fingers crossed we have a big opening weekend.
Code 8: Part II is now shooting, and you sort of teased a Part III already on Instagram. So as an on-camera talent and producer, how does it feel to have Netflix step in and turn the sequel to a short film into a potential franchise? Especially after what happened with the TV series [which was set up at the ill-fated Quibi].
Robbie Amell: Well, I mean we always wanted to make it. We always wanted to build out the world and make more than one, and Netflix took a chance on us with the first one. And we always felt really good that it would deliver on Netflix, and that was the right fanbase for it. And, you know, it was. We killed it and went to number one, the number one movie in the U.S. and a ton of countries around the world.
And then they came in, in a big way, for the sequel. And it’s funny, that the internet says I teased the third one because all I said was, you know, ‘Hopefully it’s warmer’. Just because it’s freezing-ass cold shooting Part II right now. But I mean, we’ll keep making them as long as they’ll let us, because it’s kind of the best job in the world. We’re shooting movies with friends and family.
That concludes our interview with Robbie Amell. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is coming to theaters on Wednesday, November 24, and make sure to check out our interviews with stars Tom Hopper and Avan Jogia, as well as writer/director Johannes Roberts.