Netflix to Develop RESIDENT EVIL Series

Deadline is reporting that Netflix is in the early stages of development on a scripted series based on the Resident Evil franchise. Constantin Film, the German company behind the production of the six films, which starred Milla Jovovich as Alice. Constantin launched the film series in 2002, with Screen Gems distributing the pictures.

Back in 2015, there was word that a TV series was in development from independent filmmaker Shawn Lebert and Mance Media, but the project never went beyond a proof-of-concept short film. The series, titled Arklay, would have followed a detective named James Reinhardt, who was investigating a series of homicides in Raccoon City.

According to the Deadline story, the new series will incorporate all of the Resident Evil signature elements, and will expand the story universe and add to the existing mythology. The basic premise for the show will be the same as for the films: an exploration of the Umbrella Corporation and the state of affairs in the world after the outbreak of the T-virus.

The Resident Evil franchise began life as a video game from Capcom in 1996. It was created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara, with the story following the outbreak of zombies created by the Umbrella Corporation. The first game took place in a mansion overrun by zombies, and the visuals and story were inspired by horror and action films. Since then, the game franchise has grown to include numerous sequels as well as the movie series.

This week, Capcom will release a remake of the 1998 Resident Evil 2, with the entire game redesigned with current-generation graphics and animation. Capcom remastered the entire game from the ground up using the RE Engine, which they used for Resident Evil 7. IGN put together a side-by-side comparison of the two versions:

The film franchise has earned $1.2 billion worldwide, and to date is the highest-grossing film series based on a video game.