The Resident Evil game franchise made a pretty successful transition to the big screen with the movie series led by Milla Jovovich, in box office returns if not in critical and fan acclaim. Having abandoned pretty much all of its links to the games in all but some character names and a very broad overview, the Resident Evil movies have their followers, but fans of the games still wanted more. Recently, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City attempted to reboot the movies and bring the storylines of the first two games together in a story that was full to bursting with Easter eggs but still split fans. Now, we are only a month away from yet another new take on the franchise, though this time in a Netflix TV series that promises many links to the original games.
The Resident Evil TV series has just released a double trailer, and show creator Andrew Dabb has revealed that everything that happens in the games is canon to the TV series, and we will be seeing a lot of familiar creatures as well as some new ones in the series. Set in 2022 and 2036, the storyline sees Albert Wesker moving to New Raccoon City with his half-twin children. With Wesker having history with the City, it is not too long before the mysterious Umbrella Corporation is unleashing dark experiments and once again, things really start to go wrong.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Dabb has made it clear that the Resident Evil series will incorporate all of the games that have been released, but not in the first season. With things already moving forward on a second season, it is clear that Dabb has some ambitious plans if he is allowed to see them through. He said:
"The games are our backstory. Everything that happens in the games exists in this world. We may not get [to Resident Evil Village] until season 5, but it is in our world. As we're moving ahead and talking about scripts for season 2, the village is a resource we can draw on."
Resident Evil Will Tell a Familiar Tale From a New Perspective
The world of Resident Evil we know from the games, with the deadly T-Virus, zombies, face-sucking beasts and hulking abominations, are all going to be a factor of the new Netflix series, but the main thing about this show is that it is going to be telling a new story set in that world and not rehashing what has already been done.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this new take on the Resident Evil franchise is that it will run along with two timelines a decade apart. One will likely see the start of the troubles caused by the Umbrella Corporation, while the second will see the world in chaos after being taken over by monstrous creatures due to their actions. The official synopsis of the series explains:
"Year 2036 – 14 years after Joy caused so much pain, Jade Wesker fights for survival in a world overrun by the blood-thirsty infected and mind-shattering creatures. In this absolute carnage, Jade is haunted by her past in New Raccoon City, by her father’s chilling connections to the sinister Umbrella Corporation but mostly by what happened to her sister, Billie."