I think it's important to highlight that they're still referring to the game as a remake and from what we've seen in the trailer, it looks extremely faithful. The reimagining line seems to be in direct reference to the story itself, which if we're being honest, was bare bones in the original. Here, we're actually seeing Leon interacting with the president and carrying some trauma from RE2. We even see more of Ashley which could indicate that she'll feel more like a character and less of a macguffin. It seems to be the same basic storyline, but presented in a modern way and with added depth.
Part of me does fear that the game will be a 1 to 1 remake though just so they don't p*ss off the rabid RE4 fanboys. But they did explicitly say they're trying to make the game feel like a modern survival horror experience, which is exactly what I want, but it's hard to tell whether or not Capcom even considers the original a survival horror game, so that might not even mean much in terms of how they're approaching the game. There were even rumors or reports a while ago saying that the game was delayed due to the backlash of the liberties they took with RE3 which made them change direction with RE4 and stay more faithful to the original, which it looks like we're seeing.
But then there was also more recent leaks that said the game would be revealed soon and that it would take place at night more, which were both true, but that it also has a lot of cut content and would also bring back elements from the 3.5 build which I swear I hope is true but also clashes with the previous rumor. His jacket definitely looks a lot closer to the hookman build, so to what capacity they could be pulling from the old betas remains to be seen. I think the most they did with RE2 was just the gas station bit that had Leon in different clothes... Honestly, I would love if they just completely reimagined the entire castle to be closer to what the experience was like in the 3.5 betas since it was the original setting of the game before the village became such a huge part of its identity.
Like many people here have said, I loved RE4 when it released, and I still enjoy playing it today. But time has soured my perspective on the game, especially as someone who remembers being excited about the game during the hookman days. Love or hate the game, fans were robbed with RE4 and I just want to see this game deliver what it failed to in 2005. Keep the iconic elements, keep the general atmosphere, and keep the general story, but in a way that feels like a true sequel and survival horror experience and not a linear shooting gallery with ridiculous set pieces and a story that wants to distance itself from the past.
I honestly wouldn't even mind if they took a Village-esque approach to it, which despite how I feel about the game, had a nice blend of action and survival horror, from its combat encounters to the layout of the game with the village serving as a central hub to explore and backtrack through. I mean, even RE4 had its "4 lords" back then too. I just really don't want this to be the same game but with cut content and RE2 bells and whistles. That just doesn't feel worthwhile enough as someone who has played the game tons already. It'll still be an improvement over the original, but an opportunity like this doesn't come along very often that a vanilla remake just seems like such wasted potential.
I want RE4 but with survival horror running through its DNA, which means cutting things, reworking things, and completely rethinking certain aspects of the experience. It's gonna p*ss off a lot of fans, but I say screw them. As far as I'm concerned, they didn't even want this remake to exist anyway and already I've seen people b*tching that Leon has PTSD over Raccoon City. No matter what direction they take, they can't win with this remake. If they're so content with the original RE4, at least make this one for the fans they disappointed the last time. Resident Evil 2 reinvigorated the franchise for a lot of us despite being rather underwhelming as a remake because of what it achieved as a modern take on the classic formula and I definitely don't want them to just keep remaking these games and embracing all the missteps they took along the way. I want a consistent vision across these remakes and the more these games resemble RE2, the better.