Fans of the zombie franchise Resident Evil are having a whale of a time at the moment. Not only is the eighth major instalment of the gaming series about to launch with Resident Evil: Village, but there’s also a movie reboot in the form of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and two new TV shows heading to Netflix.
Alongside the anime production, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, there’s a live action show in the works. Here’s all we know about the latter, which currently bears the simple name of Resident Evil.
When is the release date for the Resident Evil TV show?
While Netflix first in the summer of 2020, delays caused by Covid means that shooting didn’t begin until this year. reports that things kicked off in February 2021, so there is hope that we may see the show by the end of the year.
When the Wesker kids move to New Raccoon City, the secrets they uncover might just be the end of everything. Resident Evil, a new live action series based on Capcom’s legendary survival horror franchise, is coming to Netflix
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked)
August 27, 2020
Resident Evil celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2021, with the original game shambling onto the world stage back in 1996 looking for people to eat. So, there’s a good chance that the development team will be very keen to have the new show at the party, joining the upcoming movie, game and anime TV show.
For more details on how those instalments are shaping up, read our guides to Resident Evil: Village and Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness.
Other legendary game series getting the Netflix treatment are Tomb Raider, which also reaches the quarter-century mark this year, and The Witcher, which returns for its second season sometime in 2021.
What’s the plot of the new Resident Evil TV show?
The new show will follow the adventures of the two Wesker children, set across dual time periods. In an official announcement, Netflix confirmed the follows story arcs:
‘In the first timeline, fourteen-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.’
Their father is Albert Wesker, the perennial villain of the Resident Evil series who has been an integral part of the world since the very first game. We don’t know what happens to Billie along the way, but we’re quite sure that teeth and mutation will be involved.
Who are the cast of the new Resident Evil TV show?
We now have the first big piece of casting news for the show – Lance Reddick will star as the iconic antagonist, Wesker, who has been appearing in the games since Resident Evil 2. Reddick has previously starred in Fringe and John Wick.
We also have concrete details on who will be the driving force behind the production. The showrunner is Andrew Dabb, who was previously responsible for Supernatural.
In a statement, Dabb said, ‘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 show will be comprised of eight one-hour episodes, and we know that the first two will be directed by Bronwen Hughes of The Walking Dead and The Journey Is The Destination fame. Constantin Film is the studio producing the show, with the producer listed as the company’s CEO, Martin Moszkowicz.
Where can I watch the new Resident Evil TV show?
As Netflix has commissioned this show under its Originals banner, you’ll need a subscription to the streaming service to enjoy the show when it finally arrives.
