The successful Resident Evil game series has spawned the Paul WS Anderson/Milla Jovovich movie franchise. But now another take on the apocalyptic concept is on the way, with Netflix commissioning a series based on the games that will follow a different story.
Resident Evil (which will probably have a subtitle to distinguish it from the films) hails from Supernatural veteran Andrew Dabb, who is overseeing the show. It'll follow two different timelines, according to the official synopsis: "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."
Says Dabb: "Resident Evil is my favorite game of all time. I'm incredibly excited to tell a new chapter in this amazing story and bring the first ever Resident Evil series to Netflix members around the world. For every type of Resident Evil fan, including those joining us for the first time, the series will be complete with a lot of old friends, and some things (bloodthirsty, insane things) people have never seen before."
The Walking Dead's Bronwen Hughes, no stranger to undead action, is on to direct the first two episodes, setting the tone for the show, which will unfurl over eight instalments in its initial season. The series comes from Constantin Film, which produced the movies. Given that it has yet to start filming, there's no date for the show's arrival yet, and we're interested to see how a series that will surely require a few crowd scenes, will be shot in the age of Coronavirus safety precautions.