Twenty years ago, an intense horror game became the focus of a new film franchise. The Resident Evil films spanned 15 years and cultivated a wide range of fans. However, the film's fan base did not cross over into the fans of the game, which launched in 1996. The newest iteration of the best-selling video game aims to bridge the gap between fans of the action-packed films and fans of the terrifying games.
When the original Resident Evil movie was released, fans were surprised when a new character was introduced. Played by Milla Jovovich, Alice was created specifically for the films. While the films did sprinkle in the occasional game character and existed in the game's world, there wasn’t much else the films had in common with the games. This might have been due to the fact that Capcom, the Japanese video game developer and publisher, had rules in place that any main heroes from the games could not die in the films. This rule was a double-edged sword, imploring the need for new characters -- otherwise, there were never any real stakes for the “immortal” characters. However, it also kept game fans at arm's length because their favorite characters were never done justice.
With the new Resident Evil TV series en route, the creators have promised that while new characters will be introduced, fans of the game franchise will be delighted to know that it will follow the game’s narrative more directly. Now that we have seen the teaser trailer, here’s what has been revealed so far.
The Wesker Family's Two Timelines
There is one familiar face, or rather name, that fans will recognize in the series: Albert Wesker. While Wesker might have looked a bit different in the games and films, showrunner Andrew Dabb stated in an interview with GamesRadar that “you’re not gonna find anybody better” for the role than Lance Reddick. The actor is known for his work in the John Wick franchise and has been recently cast for the upcoming White Men Can’t Jump reboot.
The series will follow Albert Wesker as he brings up his daughters, Jade and Billie, in the quaint town of New Raccoon City. Albert is employed at the Umbrella Corporation. While he appears domestic in the trailer, Dabb has promised the Wesker known by original fans is alive and well and that everything will be revealed in due time.
The show will also exist along two timelines. The first will follow Wesker and his daughters in what appears to be a perfect small-town life. The second jumps forward over a decade and follows Jade Wesker as she fights to survive after the Umbrella Corporation’s virus has ravaged the world.
Resident Evil's Game Lore
The original films were incredibly successful, grossing $1.2 billion worldwide collectively and being the most successful game-based film franchise of all time. However, they didn’t necessarily stick to the game's lore and terrifying nature. The films became more about action than the tense nature the games were known for. In 2021, the new reboot film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City tried to correct this by including more true representations of characters in the game and following the first two titles. However, this proved to be too much of a feat for the film, and it fell flat at the box office and among fans.
Showrunner Andrew Dabb has stated that while this show is very much “Netflix’s version of Resident Evil,” it differs from the game version. However, the series does have the game’s backstory, and according to an article from Gizmodo, the games are canon. Fans of the games and films alike were wary of the series when it was introduced due to the trailer’s apparent adolescent storyline. However, Dabb wanted audiences to understand that the show is “not a direct adaptation of the games [this Resident Evil] is not, as I’ve seen online, ‘Riverdale’ with zombies.” He was very adamant that the series would have the “blood and the guts and the gore and the monsters and the secrets and the betrayals and all of that stuff” that made the games so great. “I hope people really respond to that.”
The New Kids on the Zombie Block
The show has been rather coy with its details, but several things have been revealed, Lance Reddick’s casting as Albert Wesker being one of them. Alongside him as his daughter, Jade Wesker’s younger and older version will be Tamara Smart (Artemis Fowl, 2020) and Ella Balinska (Charlie's Angels, 2019). Joining them in the cast will be Sienna Agudong (Raven’s Home, 2020), Adeline Rudolph (Riverdale, 2021), Paola Nuñez (Bad Boys for Life, 2020), Ahad Raza Mir (Hum Tum, 2022), Connor Gossatti (What We See, 2020) and Turlough Convery (Belfast, 2021). It hasn’t been disclosed who these actors will be portraying.
Andrew Dabb, known primarily for his work on the hit CW show Supernatural, serves as the series showrunner and an executive producer alongside Robert Kulzer (Resident Evil franchise) and Oliver Berben (Shadowhunters, 2018-2019). Dabb also serves as the show's writer with Mary Leah Sutton (Tell Me a Story, 2018-). Bronwen Hughes, who has an expansive directing career from Harriet the Spy (1996) to The Walking Dead (2010-), will direct the first two episodes in addition to his services as an executive producer.
The horror series will be released on Netflix on July 14, 2022, and follow an 8-episode arch.