Resident Evil movie director explains why Mr. X didn't make the cut

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City director Johannes Roberts has revealed that the iconic Mr. X was originally going to be a part of the upcoming movie – but ended up being cut.

Mr. X – best known to fans as the nightmare-causing force of nature in the Resident Evil 2 Remake – was part of Roberts’ plans, but the filmmaker couldn't find a way to make the character work. An Easter egg was planned – but sounds like that barely made the final cut, either.

"I just couldn't find a way to put in Mr. X," Roberts told ComicBook. "There is a nod. It's tricky to see in the shot and I was like, 'Just use that shot,' but it doesn't work in the movie."

Roberts added, "With a movie, you have to actually tell a proper movie rather than just use the shots that you want."

Resi fans shouldn’t worry about other lore drops and references making the cut, however. The early Welcome to Raccoon City trailers have teased a mash-up of the original Resident Evil game and its sequel, with key players such as Claire and Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, and Jill Valentine all included.

Roberts also told sister publication SFX Magazine that elements of Resident Evil 4 could be in the movie franchise’s future.

"I am obsessed with the fourth game," he 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.”

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