Resident Evil is one of the most popular video game franchises ever produced. The first game hit Playstation in 1996 and has since spawned no fewer than 15 sequels across most video game platforms, including the Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo Gameboy. The game has also been adapted into a six-film movie series and holds the title of being the highest-grossing movie series based on a video game. Not only that, but there are also three animated Resident Evil movies, a comic book series, and even a toy line. To say that Resident Evil is popular is an understatement. Now, Netflix is jumping on the RE gravy train with an 8-episode live-action series.
The current rumor is that the series, which is currently in production, will act as a prequel to the films. Netflix is working with Constantin Films, the studio that produced the live-action films, to bring this series to life. Also on board, according to Variety, is Andrew Dabb as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Dabb previously worked as the showrunner for the hit CW series Supernatural, which recently ended after fifteen years on the air.
Though we currently don’t have details on the plot and most of this is speculation, the good people at The Illuminerdi have uncovered some details about the casting of the series and a few of the character details. According to their sources, the producers are currently looking to fill five roles, which include the previously seen character of Albert Wesker, as well as three new roles, listed as Jade, Billie, and Evelyn. The fifth role is a young version of Jade, leading us to believe that the series will take place across multiple time periods.
Here’s the information from The Illuminerdi:
Jade: Female, 30’s, Series Regular (28, Mixed race) Jade has changed a lot since her reckless adolescent years. She’s a motivated scientist, who survives with her intelligence. She is full of survivor’s guilt and feels responsible for the apocalyptic chain of events that doomed her sister and forever altered the world.
Jade hates Umbrella, a totalitarian mega-corporation that survived the apocalypse. Jade’s mission is to dismantle the organization. She promised herself she would never become like her father, Albert, who was so focused on his work, he failed to parent his own kids. She is also in a relationship with Arjun, who has a young daughter, Bea. Jade loves them both deeply but chooses to work in the field which keeps them apart for up to months at a time in an effort to further her scientific studies.
We grow to learn Jade is truly motherly and empathetic, while she has dedicated herself to fix the broken world and hopes to find redemption for her part in creating the mayhem.
Albert Wesker: Male, 40-49, Series Regular (40s, any ethnicity) Albert Wesker is mysterious, charming and full of secrets. He is the sole parent to his two teenaged daughters. While being a brilliant scientific mind and aloof, his darker side is not readily apparent. However, the more time we spend with him, the harder it becomes for him to keep his secrets before his hidden life collides with his public one.
Source: Capcom
Eventually his furious ambition comes to the surface. Albert is supremely motivated by his scientific discovery, which causes him to test his theories without the patience to foresee their horrible ramifications on the world. A layered and multi-faceted role.
Young Jade: Female, 13-16, Series Regular (Character is 14, Mixed Race) Jade is a bold and rebellious teenager who resents her father for uprooting her home. However, she’s extroverted, supremely confident, and is able to befriend others and adapt easily. She has a rough exterior yet is warm on the inside and her closest connection is with her introverted twin sister, Billie. They are opposites in many ways, yet Jade’s brash decisions ultimately lead her sister into trouble.
Young Billie: Female, 13-16, Series Regular (Character is 14, Mixed Race) Billie is Jade’s fraternal twin. Similar to Jade, Billie is unhappy about having to change her entire world and move into this Stepford Wives-like community. However, unlike Jade, she is trying to be as optimistic about it as possible. At her core that’s exactly who Billie is, a peacekeeping activist.
Billie is introverted with an abundance of love. That same love and righteousness sets her on a tragic path when she sneaks into her father laboratory to unmask the inhumane treatment and testing of animals. However, during the break-in, Billie is bitten by a rabid animal that is suffering from an unknown virus. The bite has catastrophic results for Billie that begins by changing her personality. However, she becomes increasing rabid and easily loses control of her emotions. With Jade accompanying her, Billie attempts to find answers to what is happening to her and a way to stop it.
Evelyn: Female, 40-49, Series Regular (Character is in her 40s, any nationality/ethnicity) Evelyn Marcus is the daughter of a mysterious corporate head. She’s domineering, merciless, duplicitous. When something goes haywire at the corporation, she is brought in to fix the problems… and does so very aggressively. She has a wife and son, Simon, a popular 15-year-old athlete and scholar who already has advanced computer and hacking skills.
However, his growing relationship with one of Albert’s twin girls alerts Evelyn that there is more going on under the surface.
The series is listed on IMDB as “in development,’ and as such, there’s no date yet for when it will premiere. However, Resident Evil fans can quell their thirst for new RE content with Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness later this year. You can check out the trailer for that below and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more info on the live-action Resident Evil series as it breaks.
