Netflix shared a new glimpse at Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy as they appear in the upcoming CGI animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. The show, slated to release next year, will reunite the stars of Resident Evil 2 for the first time on screen since 2008’s Resident Evil: Degeneration. Infinite Darkness is one of the multiple adaptations of the hit zombie video game series currently developing at Netflix.
Netflix has recently made itself the frontrunner for high-budget video game adaptations, with massive successes in recent series like Castlevania and The Witcher. Resident Evil is one of several other game franchises currently being adapted, with Infinite Darkness being developed in tandem with another live-action Resident Evil series focused on the children of villain Albert Wesker. Netflix also recently announced a deal with French game developer Ubisoft to adapt their massively successful Assassin’s Creed series into a universe of animated and live-action shows.
The Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness trailer released last month gave a glimpse at Leon and Claire’s return, but new images shared by Netflix on Twitter provide a better look at what fans can expect. Both characters are shown wearing their signature looks – Claire in a red leather jacket and Leon in a black one. The designs seem very similar to how Claire and Leon looked in the last CGI Resident Evil film, Degeneration, though it’s unclear at this point if the Netflix series will have anything to do with that film. In the official tweet, Netflix confirmed that Infinite Darkness would tell a new, canonical story.
Resident Evil has undoubtedly seen the most success out of every video game franchise adapted for film or television. The Milla Jovovich-led, Paul W.S. Anderson-directed live-action zombie films that began in 2002 and ended in 2016 were massive hits at the box office, though fans of the games were less enthusiastic. While characters from the games made appearances throughout the Anderson series, very little of the original storylines were included. The movies succeeded more on the appeal as general zombie films than as proper iterations of Capcom’s hit franchise.
Knowing that Netflix’s upcoming shows tie more directly into the games’ characters should give fans a reason to hope for the best. While the Wesker kids will be new additions, they’ll still be connected to the core story in an exciting way. And by centering Leon and Claire, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness could be the most faithful adaptation of the bunch. Fans will find out what Netflix has in store for Ms. Redfield and the former rookie cop when the show is released next year.
Source: Netflix