Is Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City a sequel?

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.

More: Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City Ending & Sequel Setup Explained

A new Resident Evil TV show is on its way to Netflix streaming, following the 2021 release of movie Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. As with any new Resident Evil movie or TV project, there is a certain amount of audience anticipation going into the show's release, along with some semblance of trepidation. Resident Evil's history being adapted into the live-action realm has been hit and miss so far, with many items proving to be highly divisive.

One point in the Netflix Resident Evil show's favor is its lead creative mind Andrew Dabb, who has shown he can excel in the world of horror TV. Dabb served as showrunner for seasons 12-15 of CW hit Supernatural, after having worked on its creative staff since season 5. That kind of experience is great to have when setting out to add an entry into the sprawling Resident Evil franchise, one which encompasses movies, shows, books, comics, and of course, video games.

Considering how recently Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City released, it's only natural that many potential viewers of the Resident Evil TV show are wondering if it's a sequel to that movie. However, the answer is a firm no. Welcome to Raccoon City and the Netflix Resident Evil show were produced by two entirely separate teams, and aren't connected in any intentional way. Considering that the Netflix show is set decades after the 1998 T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City though, it's certainly possible similar events from the games that Welcome to Raccoon City was inspired by will be referenced or explored.

According to showrunner Dabb, the Netflix Resident Evil series treats all mainline Resident Evil game canon up through Resident Evil: Village as having happened, so presumably any part of that could be referenced or incorporated in some way. Considering that Welcome to Raccoon City, despite hewing much closer to the games than the Milla Jovovich movie franchise, took many liberties with the timeline, it's probably a much simpler move to not worry about functioning as a follow-up. As mentioned though, since both had different producing teams, acknowledging each other may not have even been an option.

While it remains to be seen how Netflix's Resident Evil show will be received, it's probably a good thing either way that it doesn't directly tie to Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City's ending. Not only did that movie get blasted by critics - 31% on Rotten Tomatoes - it sank like a stone at the box office, earning $41 million worldwide on a budget of $25 million. That might sound like a good return on the surface, but after marketing costs, it likely barely broke even, much less turned a profit. With this in mind, tying a new Netflix show to Welcome to Raccoon City's sunken ship would have been a mistake.

More: Netflix's Resident Evil Can Get Live-Action Wesker Right With Lance Reddick