Chandler Riggs Resident Evil 7 fans now have a new adaptation to enjoy. The The Walking Dead actor has written and directed a fan-made short film based on Capcom’s classic horror game.
Titled BIOHAZARD, the short film follows Ethan Winters. He searches for his missing wife while trapped inside the home of the infected Baker family.
The film runs for almost 20 minutes. It focuses on Ethan’s terrifying battle with the family’s patriarch, Jack Baker.
Riggs also stars as Ethan Winters. Jason Douglas plays Jack Baker. Mary Rachel Quinn, Eugenie Bondurant, Johnathan O’Neil and Sam Coyles also appear.
Fans can watch the short film for free on YouTube.
Releasing a ‘true-to-the-game live-action’ adaptation
Riggs wanted to create a live-action adaptation that stayed close to the game. In an interview with IGN, he explained the project’s original timing.
The team planned to release BIOHAZARD before Zach Cregger’s new Resident Evil film. However, production took longer than expected.
Riggs said the team entered pre-production before news of Cregger’s film emerged. They then tried to finish their project as quickly as possible.
Riggs is a major fan of the game series. Therefore, BIOHAZARD became a personal passion project for him.
He also looked forward to Cregger’s movie. Riggs said he wanted to see a live-action Resident Evil adaptation that stayed true to the games.
Impossible to please everybody
There have been numerous attempts to adapt the Resident Evil games – some successful, some not, depending on the fan you are going to ask.
While Creggers’ take on the material was widely well-received, particularly due to his decision to deviate from the game lore and tell an original story, it is the same reason that brought dissatisfaction among fans who wish to see a faithful adaptation of the game.
Riggs is more than aware of how fans might feel about his short film.
“Look, it’s impossible to please everybody, you know?” he said.
“I think there’s always going to be a crowd that is unhappy, but I think that it’s a great way to try to get more people into the series, into the franchise, and tell a story that you want to tell.”
On playing Ethan Winters and first-person POVs
One of Riggs’ main concerns is whether to shoot the film in first person or not.
Resident Evil 7 is played in first person, meaning the player rarely ever sees Ethan Winters’ face.
However, in ‘BIOHAZARD’, Riggs and his team chose to show the protagonist throughout the movie.
“We’re trying to do so much else super faithful and true to the game, but this is a huge aspect that we are breaking from it,” said Riggs, who admitted that playing Ethan Winters is an “absolutely intimidating thing.”
“But there isn’t really another good way to tell [the story] in a live-action format.”
“I was going back and forth like ‘Okay, could we do first person the whole time? Could we avoid getting his face in or anything?’”
“But the more we went back and forth on it, the more I was like, ‘I mean, if we are going to do this and are going to appeal to a wider audience — more than just the people who played the games — then we’re going to have to break those rules.”
Possibly with Cregger on another RE film
Riggs also expressed his dream to work with Cregger on another Resident Evil movie, should the director choose to return to the franchise.
“If [Cregger] wants to continue in the universe, I’m all for it. Listen, my phone is open. Hit my line!” he told IGN.
Cregger, however, bluntly stated in a conversation with Deadline last month that he is done with working on another franchise film.
“I’m doing this [Resident Evil] and that’s it for me,” said the director behind critically-acclaimed horror films ‘Barbarian’ and ‘Weapons’.
“I don’t want to write something where I have to make sure I’m tagging different data points to satisfy X. I just want to satisfy me,” he added, explaining that he is fine with doing Resident Evil because he is “enthusiastic” about the game.
Despite Creggers’ statement, the potential behind Resident Evil’s expansive universe still makes future adaptations possible.
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