The world of Resident Evil has grown exponentially, hasn’t it? The games have gone from zombies to mutated tentacle monsters to immortal sludge monsters masquerading as a serial killer family. The most recent entry in the main game line introduced actual werewolves and vampire queens into the mix!
The franchise doesn’t just stick to the games, the RE universe has made its way to the big and the small screen as well. The next example comes Supernatural writer and EP Andrew Dabb, who has partnered with Netflix to write and produce Resident Evil, the first trailer for which has finally been released.
Resident Evil takes us to year 2036, the furthest into the future the franchise has gotten. A new canon has been introduced, one seemingly separate from the games or previous films — a statement that could easily be disproven by any tricks Capcom/Netflix have up their sleeves — evident by the introduction of Jade and Billie Wesker. Their father, Albert Wesker, is a prominent villain in the original games. This version, portrayed by Lance Reddick, could go in any direction.
The trailer introduces us to the sisters when they’re 14, in the year 2022. As you may have guessed, this is the year a deadly virus outbreak took place, killing hundreds and turning thousands more into bloodthirsty mutant zombies. I believe it.
At the heart of this are the familiar locations of New Raccoon City (seemingly an updated version of the original RC) and the headquarters of the infamous Umbrella Corporation. New Raccoon City is shown in the trailer to be some kind of sprawling utopia, with nice buildings, lush greenery and happy neighbors who do morning exercises together. But everything is not what it seems, as evident by the heavy presence of surveillance cameras and the Umbrella Corp logo plastered on every patch of grass and hydro flask.
The trailer jumps back and forth from NRC 2022 to London 2036, showing us a glimpse of the two timelines the show will focus on. While 2022 is the start of the outbreak, the world has gone to complete hell by the time we reach the present timeline, where 30-year old Jade Wesker is part of a resistance force that fights back against Umbrella and the horrendous horde of undead they unleashed upon the world. Noticeably. She’s without her father or her sister.
The series will bridge the timelines and uncover what happened to Jade’s family, and how it all connects to — say it with me now — the Umbrella Corporation.
But onto more important things; this trailer is bloody. As convoluted and tricky as these Resident Evil stories can get, they usually have one thing in common. The new Resident Evil shared its predecessor’s knack for blood, guts, explosions, and chainsaws. The trailer even reveals some fun easter eggs for fans to look out for, like the iconic zombie dogs from the first game.
Resident Evil unleashes on to Netflix on July 14 with an eight-episode season premiere. The series stars Lance Reddick, Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Nuñez, Ahad Raza amor, Connor Gossatti, and Turlough Convery.