The official trailer for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil has confirmed what had been widely reported about the project in recent months: the new film will be set in the video game universe but will also tell an original story featuring new characters.
This has led many fans to wonder: when is Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil set in the franchise’s timeline? Let’s try to answer that question… .
According to the director and screenwriter of Barbarian and Weapons, his Resident Evil takes place concurrently with the events of Resident Evil 2, the legendary video game starring Leon S. Kennedy and set in Raccoon City. Specifically, in a recent interview, Cregger said that the story takes place “on the fringes” of the second game: “You know, Raccoon City is experiencing its great apocalyptic night, but our film tells another story that could be unfolding in parallel to those events, in another area.”
Naturally, fans have combed through the trailer looking for possible clues or references, and many have spotted some inconsistencies: “So this is supposed to be Raccoon City during RE2 and RE3? Then why the hell is it snowing?” one fan asked. That’s because Resident Evil 2 takes place over a single night on September 31, while Resident Evil 3 takes place immediately after the end of the second game, on October 1. Snow in September and October is pretty unusual for the season, even for a very unusual city like Raccoon City. Then, the same fan noticed another detail that raises doubts: “Okay, I really like the trailer, but the fact that it’s set in Raccoon City during RE2, with that scene of the protagonist using a smartphone flashlight, already makes me doubt how DRASTICALLY it deviates from the original plot,” they wrote.
Resident Evil 2 is set in 1998, so long before the smartphone era. “Resident Evil 2 is set in September 1998. Aside from the super-modern look (at one point he has a smartphone), it wasn’t snowing in Raccoon City. There are completely made-up virus mutations. It feels like a zombie movie where they tacked ‘Resident Evil’ onto the title as an afterthought,” says another fan. “I think my only real criticism of the Resident Evil movie is that it takes place in parallel with the events of RE2 (which is set in ’98) and that he has a smartphone,” says someone else. “I would have preferred if they had set it in that era and not in a modern one.”
And again: “Seriously, why is there such a modern iPhone 15/16 Pro in this new Resident Evil movie? It seems absolutely out of place for something that’s supposed to take place during the events of Resident Evil 2 (according to the director himself).”
Many fans, however, are also pushing back against this nitpicking: “Resident Evil is a franchise where you have to shove a diamond into a statue’s eye sockets to get the key that opens a police station door, and your suspension of disbelief is ruined because it’s snowing?” someone points out.
In short, the Resident Evil timeline shouldn’t be an issue: even though Resident Evil 2 serves as the reference point, it’s clear that Cregger has also taken some liberties with the adaptation, such as shifting the setting to the present day rather than the 1990s. The director also stated: “I’m a huge fan of the Resident Evil games. I’ve played them all. I don’t know how many times I’ve replayed RE4 on loop. I love it. But I’m definitely not trying to be completely faithful to the games’ lore.”
