Popular video game series Resident Evil is getting a new live-action movie adaptation.
Constantin Film and writer-director Johannes Roberts, who is best known for his shark thriller 47 Meters Down and its sequel 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, announced on Tuesday that they have created an official origin story adaptation with faithful ties to the Japanese survival horror video game series owned by Capcom.
Playing the iconic video game characters in the movie reboot are Kaya Scodelario (Maze Runner) as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (The 100) as William Birkin.
Set in 1998 on a fateful night in Raccoon City, the movie, according to Roberts, will go back to the franchise’s first two video games: 2002’s Resident Evil and 2004’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse. “With this movie, I really wanted to … re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them,” Roberts said, “whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences.”
Robert Kulzer, who produced the first six Resident Evil movies starring Milla Jovovich, will return to produce the reboot on behalf of Constantin Film, along with James Harris from Tea Shop Productions and Hartley Gorenstein. Also executive producing the movie are Constantin Film’s CEO Martin Moszkowicz and Davis Film’s Victor Hadida. Alex Westmore and Colin Scully of Constantin Film will oversee the project.
Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the previous six Resident Evil films grossed a combined $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office, making it one of the highest-grossing film series ever based on a video game.
The announcement of the Resident Evil movie reboot comes more than a month after it was confirmed that a live-action TV series based on the video game is also heading to Netflix.