The highly-anticipated Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City isn’t even out yet and director Johannes Roberts is already talking plans for a sequel.
The new movie is a reboot of the franchise and aims to differentiate itself from the Milla Jovovich films of the past. Most of the new film’s source material comes from the first two video games in the franchise. Those games, Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2, follow cops Claire and Chris Redfield as they fight off hordes of undead and uncover the nefarious plot of the Umbrella Corporation and its zombie serum.
The movie is taking a broader swing than the older ones, aiming to appeal to a more general audience than just fans of the video game. If it’s a hit, then it will pave the way for another sequel, something that Roberts is already considering. As it turns out, Roberts said that the next movie could be based on the classic Resident Evil 4, which follows the story of Leon Kennedy as he travels through rural Spain in search of the president’s daughter.
“I am obsessed with the fourth game, Roberts said. “I could very much see that becoming part of the next installment. There’s a lot of interesting lore and tiny details that we have brought into this movie, but would be amazing to expand on. There are characters that we didn’t use in this game that we would love to expand upon in the next movie. There’s also a different side of Resident Evil with Village and Resident Evil 7, where it’s a much darker, more horrific world”
The director said that there have “definitely been conversations” about a sequel and that he hopes the new movie is “the beginning of a whole new chapter.”
“We’ve really created some iconic characters with Chris, Claire, Wesker, and Leon,” he said.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hits theaters on Nov. 24.