Chandler Riggs spent years fighting for survival in the zombie apocalypse on The Walking Dead. Now, he’s heading into the nightmare of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard with a live-action fan film of his own. Titled BIOHAZARD, the short film arrives on YouTube Wednesday, October 14, and Riggs is taking on considerably more than just the lead role.
Riggs wrote, directed, and stars in the project, playing Ethan Winters, the protagonist of Capcom’s 2017 survival horror game. Rather than attempt to cram the entire game into a short film, BIOHAZARD focuses on one of its most memorable encounters: Ethan’s terrifying confrontation with Jack Baker, the patriarch of the infected family that turns his search for his missing wife into a nightmare.
Jason Douglas, who played Tobin on The Walking Dead, steps into the role of Jack Baker opposite Riggs. The short runs approximately 19 minutes, giving the filmmakers a chance to bring a particularly nasty slice of the game to life without having to recreate the entire experience.
IGN has released an exclusive teaser trailer for BIOHAZARD, offering a first look at Riggs as Ethan. The footage includes Ethan desperately trying to get help from a police officer, along with glimpses of the dark, unsettling world that awaits him. For fans who remember playing Resident Evil 7, the teaser looks to be aiming for a faithful recreation of the game’s atmosphere and its distinctly uncomfortable encounters.
In an interview with IGN, Riggs, perhaps best known as the pudding-loving Carl on The Walking Dead TV show, explained that his love of the Resident Evil franchise was a major reason for making the film. He wanted to see a live-action adaptation that stayed true to the game, and decided to take matters into his own hands. The project also gave him an opportunity to get back on set and collaborate with other filmmakers.
The timing is interesting, considering director Zach Cregger’s new Resident Evil movie recently arrived in theaters. Riggs revealed that his team was already in pre-production when news broke that Cregger would be tackling the franchise. They had hoped to get their own project out first, but things didn’t quite line up that way.
Riggs isn’t treating his fan film as a competition, though. He told IGN that he’d love to make a feature-length adaptation of Resident Evil 7 someday, and he would also welcome the chance to work with Cregger if the director continues exploring the franchise.
As Riggs put it, “Listen, my phone is open. Hit my line!”
That isn’t confirmation of a sequel or a collaboration, but it certainly puts Riggs’ interest out there. For now, fans can see what he has cooked up with BIOHAZARD when the short film lands on YouTube tomorrow. The exclusive teaser trailer is available now, and the full short film arrives October 14.
