The Valentines and Redfields Return
Who doesn’t love October? It is the month where terrifying new titles release, and long dormant franchises rise from the grave to haunt us again. Capcom’s Resident Evil series has spawned 6 live action movies starring Milla Jovovich, that universe concluded with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2016. Now, a new group of filmmakers are taking a more faithful approach and rebooting the series.
The new adaptation is coming from German production company Constantin Films, who have tapped British filmmaker Johannes Roberts to write and direct. Roberts is known for his horror output, in particular his 2017 survival thriller 47 Meters Down in which two women must survive being trapped in a shark cage with an angry great white circling! Roberts sounds like a huge fan of the original Resident Evil games, describing his approach as wanting to “go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them”.
Story details are scarce, however Constantin producer Robert Kulzer – who has long been associated with the franchise – revealed that the production team “felt compelled to return to the year 1998, to explore the secrets hidden in the walls of the Spenser Mansion and Raccoon City”. Meanwhile, Roberts insists he wants to tell “a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences”. While the previous film series, the majority of which were directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, expanded its story in many interesting directions, this reboot seems to be hewing closer to the series origins – which should delight fans of those original games.
The Resident Evil reboot will star Kava Scodelario (Maze Runner) as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (The Flash) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Acadamy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Shaft) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (Captain America: The First Avenger) as William Birkin. This is a pretty stacked cast with seasoned character actors and rising stars, we can’t wait to see their take on these iconic characters.
While there are multiple other Resident Evil properties in development, including a terrifying video game Resident Evil: Village, it is exciting to see the movies taking the series back to its roots. The cast list and sparse plot details revealed so far, it seems like the reboot could be aiming to play like a greatest hits of the the first two games. With such an iconic property, it is a tall order to fill, but this announcement has us dreaming (or perhaps having nightmares) of what is to come.
Which classic moments from the games do you want to see on the big screen? Let us know in the comments below.