Resident Evil Is Being Rebooted At Netflix, But Is It A Terrible Idea?
The unfathomably successful movie series is heading to the small screen.
Even before the final instalment in Paul WS. Anderson's immensely convoluted - yet ridiculously successful - Resident Evil movie series dropped in theatres, the owner of the license, Constantin Films, were looking for ways to continue the brand via a reboot. Initially, there were rumours that once the Milla Jovovich run ended, the studio would go back to the video game's roots with a horror-centric re-imagining more faithful to the source material.
That version seemed to be picking up steam, with names like James Wan allegedly being attached to help produce the movie and punch up the script. However, then Wan himself came out to proclaim fans shouldn't believe everything they hear, and that he wasn't actually actively involved with the project. Now it seems as though a big-screen adaptation has been shelved in favour of an attempt on the small screen, with reports suggesting that the property is being developed at Netflix as a TV series.
According to Deadline, Constantin are only developing a script and eyeing up potential showrunners at this stage, and it will be up to Netflix whether it's ordered to a series. Still, should it get a first season, they apparently plan on digging into the video game mythology more than the films, focusing on Umbrella and the outbreak of the T-Virus. Not a lot is known other than that, apart from suggestions that the series will feature "action sequences and Easter eggs". Got the essential bases covered, then.
It's exciting to potentially have Resi back on our screens (especially after the video games have rediscovered their spark), but is a TV reboot the right move for the franchise?