A live action Resident Evil TV series by Netflix has been in the leaks since earlier this year, and it’s now been officially announced. Comprising of eight episodes, each an hour long, the series is going in some… rather interesting directions.
It will tell its story across two timelines. In one timeline, Albert Wesker’s daughters, Jade and Billie Wesker – both fourteen years-old – will find themselves in New Raccoon City, a “manufactured, corporate town” where things are not quite what they seem and their father is “concealing dark secrets” that could destroy the world. So he’s being Albert Wesker, basically.
Then there’s the second timeline, set over a decade into the future, where following a cataclysmic event, just about 15 million people are left alive in the post-apocalyptic world. Jade Wesker struggles to survive in this new world riddled with over 6 billion monsters made of the deadly T-Virus, as she uncovers secrets about her father, her sister, and herself.
Andrew Dabb, the showrunner of Supernatural, will oversee the show. Bronwen Hughes, who has worked on TV shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and The Walking Dead, will also be an executive producer, and will be directing the first two episodes.
Dabb says in a press release announcing the TV series that Resident Evil is his favourite game of all time, and the Netflix series will feature both familiar and new elements.
“Resident Evil is my favorite game of all time,” he says. “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.”
Resident Evil hasn’t exactly had the best track record with adaptations, especially when it comes to live action ones, so there’s probably going to be a healthy amount of skepticism with this TV show. Still, we’re hoping it’ll buck the trend and actually be… good? Fingers crossed.