Per Deadline.com, Netflix is developing a TV series based on the Resident Evil video game franchise, which previously spawned six feature-length films starring Milla Jovovich. With the January 25th release of Capcom’s highly anticipated Resident Evil 2 remake for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows, it seems the original series is making a comeback as the film franchise closed its storytelling doors in January 2017 with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
The original 1996 game established the survival horror genre as a potentially lucrative style of gaming, and while the series has encountered its fair share of ups and downs, the rebirth of the game-franchise with 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. That said, despite negative reviews from the critics, the film series grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide. But the diehard fans have never looked favorably on the disparities between the canon source material and Jovovich’s interpretation.
But now, Deadline reports that Resident Evil will be finding itself on the small screen in the form of a Netflix original series. With no show-runner yet brought to guide the project, many facets about the series remain uncertain, but Netflix has a strong track record that is sure to spike the interest of Resident Evil devotees for what may be a far more faithful adaptation of the material. The Deadline report describes the project as: “No one is commenting but I hear the plan is for the series to expand the Resident Evil universe and deepen the existing mythology. I hear the series will keep the basic premise, which also served as a setup for the movie franchise. The drama series will explore the dark inner workings of the Umbrella Corporation and the new world order caused by the outbreak of the T-virus. While the project is in early stages, the series is expected to incorporate all of Resident Evil’s signature elements, including action sequences and “easter eggs.”
That all aside, there has been a previously announced theatrical Resident Evil reboot, which had mentions of James Wan producing and Johannes Roberts to write and direct. So it begs the question, is that project now dead? Or is Resident Evil surging with so much popularity that two different renditions of the source material will exist simultaneously? For now, all we know for sure is that Netflix is working on it, and hopefully, it’s another exciting entree into Netflix’s vast array of success.