In 2020, several new installments in the Resident Evil franchise were announced. The most highly anticipated is an entire re-imagining of the movie series. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming Resident Evil reboot.
The original movie series premiered with Resident Evil in 2002, and introduced the world to Milla Jovovich's Alice, who would carry the series as its lead for nearly 15 years. It was adapted from the popular horror video game franchise of the same name that was created by Capcom in 1996. The franchise has expanded to an astounding degree with the amount of merchandise, video game sequels and prequels, the movie series, and now a reboot as well as a Netflix series on the way. Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil details the events that take place in Raccoon City after the T-Virus surfaces from The Hive and infects people, causing them to become the undead. As the series progresses, it weaves in storylines familiar to the video games, but does not adapt them directly. For Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey At Night), the video game stories and plots will play a pivotal role in his retelling of the events that took place in Raccoon City.
While many fans of the franchise were hesitant to hear the news of Netflix's upcoming series focused on the Wesker children, there's been a remarkably different reaction to news surrounding Roberts' reboot movie. Roberts is a personal fan of the video games and, as such, brings a fan perspective to the project. He is the perfect person to direct it due in part to his talents in the horror genre, as well as his breadth of knowledge on all things Resident Evil.
Resident Evil Reboot Release Date
On October 17, 2020, filming officially began for the reboot, since titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Presumably there isn't an unexpected movie theater closure in the near future, Sony plans to release the Resident Evil reboot on November 24, 2021. Should such a closure happen though, a VOD release could certainly be a possibility, in lieu of a long delay.
Resident Evil Reboot Cast & Characters
In early October of 2020, the entire cast and their corresponding characters were announced. The reboot will star Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, who first appeared in the video game Resident Evil 2. Her brother, Chris Redfield, will be portrayed by Robbie Amell of The Babysitter and The Babysitter: Killer Queen. Marvel star Hannah John-Kamen is set to play Jill Valentine, the main protagonist of Resident Evil 3. One of the franchise's biggest villains, Albert Wesker, will be portrayed by Tom Hopper of The Umbrella Academy. Neal McDonough is William Birkin, the man who brought on the destruction of Raccoon City. Perhaps one of the biggest announcements in regard to the cast and characters of the Resident Evil reboot movie was that Leon S. Kennedy, a fan favorite, would be included; he'll be portrayed by Avan Jogia.
Resident Evil Reboot Story Details
Fans of the Resident Evil video games will be thrilled to know that director Roberts worked with Capcom to try and adapt elements and characters from the first two games as closely as possible, with Roberts drawing particular visual inspiration from the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. The main characters from both games - including Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, Wesker, and more - will all be represented onscreen, and so will locations like the Spencer Mansion and Racoon City Police Department building. The story charts the origins of the Raccoon City outbreak, including how it became a dying town, and even includes Lisa Trevor, a teenager-turned-monster that was introduced in the 2002 remake of the first Resident Evil.
