The Resident Evil game series has stolen the hearts of countless zombie fans and enthusiasm for the game has lasted more than two decades. Ever since the first game was released in 1996, the survival horror game has resulted in numerous video game spin-offs, horror movies, novels, comic book series, and now: television series.
After first announcing that a Resident Evil TV series was in the works earlier this year, Netflix has officially offered concrete details regarding what we can expect from its newest zombie show.
Simply titled Resident Evil, the Netflix live-action adaptation will center around Jade Wesker and Billie Wesker in two timelines: one where they’re young and one where Jade is 30. Given their last names, they are presumably the two daughters of Albert Wesker, the primary antagonist of the franchise. The eight-episode series will begin as the duo enters New Raccoon City, where they uncover clues about the T-virus outbreak that might change everything.
Given the name of the city, fans are speculating that the events take place after the original Raccoon City was destroyed by missiles at the end of the Resident Evil 3 video game. This form of continuity could be a great way to get fans of both the video game franchise and movie franchise interested as old characters reappear alongside new ones. This will also work to help the series establish that it truly is a part of the wider story. As many as 77% of marketers note that a strong brand is integral to a business’ success. If Netflix wants to appease thirsty fans, their best bet is to supply a flood of lore in the new series.
The show is a welcome change from the mixed reviews that the film franchise experienced. While it was cool for some to see some of their favorite characters come to life, the films were hit and miss. Coming on the heels of The Walking Dead’s success, it seems that a Resident Evil franchise is tailor-made for a television series. Fans want to see time spent on character development. They want to see zombies cause chaos. They want to see a fully-fleshed out storyline where one of the 52 bones in your foot getting broken might lead to your demise. We don’t necessarily want an entirely new character built for the franchise to lead the charge as the movie series did with its heroine Alice.
While Netflix hasn’t announced an official release date, we can expect that the show might take a little while longer because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the streaming giant has offered us some information to tide us over.
To start, we know that the series will last eight episodes, each running for an hour in length. We also know that Supernatural director Andrew Dabb is writing the story and that the video game series is one of his all-time favorite games. On top of that, we know that Constantin Film, the creator of the movie franchise, will be pioneering the television series. There’s no confirmation on whether or not there will be a second season to the series but we can only hope that it will get more if it’s met with great acclaim.
We also have a brief synopsis offered by Netflix.
“In the first timeline, 14-year-old sisters Jade and Billie Wesker are moved to New Raccoon City. A manufactured, corporate town, forced on them right as adolescence is in full swing. But the more time they spend there, the more they come to realize that the town is more than it seems and their father may be concealing dark secrets. Secrets that could destroy the world.
Cut to the second timeline, well over a decade into the future: there are less than fifteen million people left on Earth. And more than six billion monsters — people and animals infected with the T-virus. Jade, now thirty, struggles to survive in this New World, while the secrets from her past — about her sister, her father, and herself — continue to haunt her.”
It’s been more than 24 years since the first Resident Evil game came out. Animation Mentor was the first online animation school and we’ve come a long way from the pixelated games and shoddy CGI work from the original movies in the last two decades. Even though we don’t have a release date yet, fans are still excited at the prospect of a new chapter in the Resident Evil journey.
Are you excited about Netflix’s newest announcement? Let us know in the comments!
