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Resident Evil Reboot Could Become a TV Series Instead
The upcoming Resident Evil reboot might become a TV series instead of a movie. The Resident Evil video game franchise is one of the biggest in the world, with the 1996 original being credited with popularizing the survival horror genre that later spawned other franchises like Silent Hill and Dead Space. The series has favored action over horror for a number of years, but the most recent entry – Resident Evil VII: Biohazard – returned the franchise to its horror roots.
The series was also spun off into a successful series of movies headlined by Milla Jovovich. The actress played the character of Alice over the span of six movies, ending with 2017's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The movies collectively grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, making them the most successful video game to movie translations of all time. That said, the movies were often criticized by fans for mostly ignoring the source material and their focus on action over horror.
Paul W.S. Anderson wrote all of the Resident Evil movies and directed 4 out of the 6, but he and Jovovich have since left the series and are now working on a movie version of another Capcom series Monster Hunter. A Resident Evil reboot was announced shortly after the release of The Final Chapter, and now Variety is reporting that production company Constantin is considering making it a TV series, with CEO Martin Moszkowicz stating they are still working on their approach:
For us, the main thing is to get it right creatively so people don’t think it’s more of the same. That’s what it’s all about these days, a fresh, different approach.
After working on the Resident Evil movie series since the 2002 original, don't expect Anderson to make a return this time, with Moszkowicz stating “He did six movies, earning $1.2 billion, 10 years of work; he felt it was time to move on."
The Resident Evil franchise has been adapted into just about every medium besides television, so this would be an intriguing direction for Constantin to head in. There are over 20 years of storylines and lore a TV series could explore too, so there would be no shortage of material to work with. This isn't the first time a Resident Evil show has been mooted though. A TV show dubbed Arkley was pitched a number of years ago, which would have been a prequel set before the original about a detective investigating gruesome murders in Raccoon City that were tied to the Umbrella Corporation. Test footage was shot, but the concept was ultimately abandoned.
While Constantin decides what direction to take the Resident Evil reboot in, fans are still waiting on news about the upcoming video game remake of Resident Evil 2. The game was first announced in 2015, but since then no screenshots or solid details have been revealed. Capcom recently confirmed they have 2 major titles set for release in early 2019, with many predicting Resident Evil 2 will be one of them; fans are currently hoping for an announcement on the game at the upcoming E3 expo in June.
