The below is a detailed preview of Season 1 of Resident Evil on Netflix. It contains information not included in the trailer and may contain more details than some viewers want to know early on. The series premieres on Netflix June 21, 2022.
Resident Evil has once again received the adaptation treatment, but we’re expanding beyond the world as we know it for this one! In Netflix’s upcoming Resident Evil, we’ll be exploring the apocalypse like never before. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the trailer just yet, give it a look:
Meet Billie (Seina Agudong) and Jade (Tamara Smart). You already know their father, one Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick). They’re new to New Raccoon City, and seem to live in a world that’s managed to move on from the horrors of 1998 and the outbreak that took over Raccoon City Original Edition™.
As you can see, Netflix’s Resident Evil will take place across two timelines. We meet young Billie and Jade in 2022, while the other half of the story takes place in 2036.
The split timeline will serve a purpose. Showrunner Andrew Dabb wanted to take a new look at the zombie apocalypse. We see a lot of the proverbial end of the world in media, but diving into “what the world would look like when it’s come to terms with what happened,” was important to Dabb. “We would adapt to a zombie outbreak. It may not look pretty, but we would be able to do it,” he said during our interview.
That new take didn’t mean sacrificing Resident Evil canon, though. Racoon City was still nuked in 1998 and Albert Wesker still fell into a volcano that was then RPGed. Given Wesker’s very obvious presence in this series, fans will definitely have questions as the series unfolds. Dabb was tight lipped on how Wesker turns up in New Raccoon City with two daughters after his apparent untimely end, but did note that the 2022 version is fun to build on as a “blank slate,” and noted that despite remaining in the land of the living, Wesker isn't alive through some silly means like a lava-proof vest or something.
“I don’t believe that a definitive adaptation of Resident Evil exists,” Dabb noted when asked about turning game canon into a TV series. “I don’t see our show as definitive either. Resident Evil is too big to be defined by one thing.”
This will be a brand new story, but there will still be lots of goodies for longtime fans of the franchise. Dabb doesn’t expect anyone to come into the show with a deep knowledge of the movies or games, but he did note that there will be plenty of Easter eggs waiting for diehards. With that said, he has hope that Netflix’s Resident Evil will serve as a gateway to new fans in the way that Resident Evil 3 acted as one for him (and yes, that’s his favorite game of the franchise).
The same way it did before! Dabb noted that the events that are unfolding in New Raccoon City take place around the same time as Resident Evil Villiage (the Resident Evil TV series kicks off in 2022, while the events of Village take place in 2021). All the timelines you knew before still matter, and all of the key events of the Resident Evil canon have still occurred.
When it comes to adapting those moments, the series will be pulling from game lore, but will rarely dip its toe into the films'. The genre will follow those same lines as well. "We always try to lead with horror, and then action comes second," said Dabb.
If you read my Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power title sequence preview, you know that I’m all about them practical effects. Im happy to report that Andrew Dabb feels the same way. “We tried to do as much practical as possible. Everything you see up close is practical,” he said.
There will be CGI in the series (there’s CGI in everything), but they tried to save it for when they really needed it. You’ll meet more than a few creatures created with motion capture, but one look at the boils and lesions on the zombies makes it clear that their makeup team put in the work.
Dabb also prefers practical locations to sets, and has a particular distaste for green screen. Built sets come into play when necessary, and green screen was used in the few instances there were no other options, but New Raccoon City is a real town in South Africa, while Umbrella headquarters was shot in an art museum.
Some quotes edited for clarity.
Amelia is the Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved.
Continue reading...
Resident Evil has once again received the adaptation treatment, but we’re expanding beyond the world as we know it for this one! In Netflix’s upcoming Resident Evil, we’ll be exploring the apocalypse like never before. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the trailer just yet, give it a look:
Meet Billie (Seina Agudong) and Jade (Tamara Smart). You already know their father, one Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick). They’re new to New Raccoon City, and seem to live in a world that’s managed to move on from the horrors of 1998 and the outbreak that took over Raccoon City Original Edition™.
As you can see, Netflix’s Resident Evil will take place across two timelines. We meet young Billie and Jade in 2022, while the other half of the story takes place in 2036.
A New Take on Resident Evil
The split timeline will serve a purpose. Showrunner Andrew Dabb wanted to take a new look at the zombie apocalypse. We see a lot of the proverbial end of the world in media, but diving into “what the world would look like when it’s come to terms with what happened,” was important to Dabb. “We would adapt to a zombie outbreak. It may not look pretty, but we would be able to do it,” he said during our interview.
That new take didn’t mean sacrificing Resident Evil canon, though. Racoon City was still nuked in 1998 and Albert Wesker still fell into a volcano that was then RPGed. Given Wesker’s very obvious presence in this series, fans will definitely have questions as the series unfolds. Dabb was tight lipped on how Wesker turns up in New Raccoon City with two daughters after his apparent untimely end, but did note that the 2022 version is fun to build on as a “blank slate,” and noted that despite remaining in the land of the living, Wesker isn't alive through some silly means like a lava-proof vest or something.
“I don’t believe that a definitive adaptation of Resident Evil exists,” Dabb noted when asked about turning game canon into a TV series. “I don’t see our show as definitive either. Resident Evil is too big to be defined by one thing.”
This will be a brand new story, but there will still be lots of goodies for longtime fans of the franchise. Dabb doesn’t expect anyone to come into the show with a deep knowledge of the movies or games, but he did note that there will be plenty of Easter eggs waiting for diehards. With that said, he has hope that Netflix’s Resident Evil will serve as a gateway to new fans in the way that Resident Evil 3 acted as one for him (and yes, that’s his favorite game of the franchise).
So How Does the Timeline Work Then?
The same way it did before! Dabb noted that the events that are unfolding in New Raccoon City take place around the same time as Resident Evil Villiage (the Resident Evil TV series kicks off in 2022, while the events of Village take place in 2021). All the timelines you knew before still matter, and all of the key events of the Resident Evil canon have still occurred.
When it comes to adapting those moments, the series will be pulling from game lore, but will rarely dip its toe into the films'. The genre will follow those same lines as well. "We always try to lead with horror, and then action comes second," said Dabb.
Keepin’ It Practical
If you read my Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power title sequence preview, you know that I’m all about them practical effects. Im happy to report that Andrew Dabb feels the same way. “We tried to do as much practical as possible. Everything you see up close is practical,” he said.
There will be CGI in the series (there’s CGI in everything), but they tried to save it for when they really needed it. You’ll meet more than a few creatures created with motion capture, but one look at the boils and lesions on the zombies makes it clear that their makeup team put in the work.
Dabb also prefers practical locations to sets, and has a particular distaste for green screen. Built sets come into play when necessary, and green screen was used in the few instances there were no other options, but New Raccoon City is a real town in South Africa, while Umbrella headquarters was shot in an art museum.
Some quotes edited for clarity.
Amelia is the Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved.
Continue reading...