Survival horror fans who are hoping to get more out of the upcoming Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City movie than the schlocky action flicks of past installments should be relieved to hear the upcoming film will apparently put a good amount of focus on character development this time around.
You check out for yourself how writer and director Johannes Roberts is apparently trying to take his approach to Leon Kennedy back to his roots as he was portrayed in Resident Evil 2 in the above character vignette.
While Leon, played by Avan Jogia, is often seen as an action hero by fans, the character didn’t start out that way, Roberts said. In the origin film, we will get to see Leon’s “journey” from a “nerdy, reluctant hero” to a self-assured, zombie-slaying agent.
“It was really important to cast the actor that could bring Leon Kennedy to life,” Roberts said.
Addressing the issue of some of the actors’ lack of resemblance to their video game counterparts, such as is the case with Jogia’s Leon, Roberts said, “We didn’t want someone that looked identical to the games but had no emotional connection.”
He added that throughout the movie, Leon will become the character that gamers will recognize, e.g., a certified badass.
“The fans are going to be happy with this movie because it’s pulling very much from the games,” said Jogia.
We’ll have to see how it all shakes out when Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City hits theaters Nov. 24.
