Resident Evil Rumored to Be Rebooted...Again

[Jake]

Resident Evil Rumored to Be Rebooted Once Again for New Film The Umbrella Chronicles

Rumors of a Resident Evil reboot are starting to heat up. Previously, the video game series spawn a slew of feature films from director Paul W.S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich. Within the past two years alone, the franchise has since been rebooted twice, first with the theatrical release of Johannes Roberts' unconnected feature film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. That was followed by the Netflix series adaptation dubbed Resident Evil, starring the late Lance Reddick. Neither had managed to replicate the success of Anderson's movies, as the series was canceled and there's been no indication of Welcome to Raccoon City getting a sequel.

According to a new report from Geek Vibes Nation, the Resident Evil franchise is now in the midst of getting another live-action reboot. The film is said to be titled Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, which shares the name of one of the video games that was released in 2007. It's noted that Anderson is set to produce, though no director or writer has yet been named. With all of this said, we have to note that this information hasn't been confirmed or officially announced as of this time.

If there's a new movie to be made inspired by The Umbrella Chronicles, it could be presumed that it would take some inspiration from the video game, though it's worth noting that the game itself is essentially a shortened anthology version of three separate games. With franchise villain Albert Wesker serving as narrator, the on-rails light gun shooter game chronicles the events of Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil's remake, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It could be that the film could include elements of all of these games, or perhaps the filmmakers just liked the title. In any case, all we can do is speculate for now with no additional information about the rumor.

Resident Evil Rumored to Be Rebooted Once Again for New Film The Umbrella Chronicles

Paul W.S. Anderson is rumored to be producing another film reboot dubbed Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

movieweb.com

 

[Nick]

Yikes.

Yikes all around.

One of these days, I am certain somebody, somewhere, somehow will take the Resident Evil franchise and make a game-changing film for it. That has to happen, right?

This though, this won't be it - anything with Paul W.S. Anderson can't be expected as that game-changing film, rather, it can only succeed at returning things to the status quo (the original line-up of Resident Evil movies were critically panned, but they were always successful and appealed to the foreign market).

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was probably the best adaptation we've seen (adapting Resident Evil 2) and I can appreciate how faithful it tried to be, but we also can't escape how it wasn't a very good film.

This shouldn't be that difficult, and yet, for some reason, we've had so much trouble with it.

 

[Jake]

Yikes.

Yikes all around.

One of these days, I am certain somebody, somewhere, somehow will take the Resident Evil franchise and make a game-changing film for it. That has to happen, right?

This though, this won't be it - anything with Paul W.S. Anderson can't be expected as that game-changing film, rather, it can only succeed at returning things to the status quo (the original line-up of Resident Evil movies were critically panned, but they were always successful and appealed to the foreign market).

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was probably the best adaptation we've seen (adapting Resident Evil 2) and I can appreciate how faithful it tried to be, but we also can't escape how it wasn't a very good film.

This shouldn't be that difficult, and yet, for some reason, we've had so much trouble with it.

It's sort of the same issue a lot of video game translations have. Resident Evil animated films have been great because animation grants a lot of freedoms because the directors aren't limited to the limits of current filming and reality. They can make the monsters exactly like they're meant to appear, have them act as their supposed to and still tell a great story.

 

[Nick]

It's sort of the same issue a lot of video game translations have. Resident Evil animated films have been great because animation grants a lot of freedoms because the directors aren't limited to the limits of current filming and reality. They can make the monsters exactly like they're meant to appear, have them act as their supposed to and still tell a great story.

You enjoyed the Resident Evil animated films? (Not judging, genuinely curious) For me, I feel like the reason that Resident Evil has never led to a fantastic film is because what makes them fantastic games is absent from each film. The animated films, I felt, were like elongated cut-scenes. They were satiable, but the cut-scenes were never where the series shined. The video-games are corny, B-movie type science-fictions, with army men punching rocks and guys doing super-flips out of windows. What makes them special is the game-play. If you isolated the videogames down to their cut-scenes, a lot of what you'd get is pretty close to what we've gotten in the films.

Now, Resident Evil 7 and, to an extent, Resident Evil 8, I feel, might be better suited being adapted into films. A horror show of a guy trying to escape a crazy, nut-job family? Almost could be slasher-esque.

 

[Jake]

Yes, I enjoyed the animated films. Not really sure why, just seemed to translate better as an animated film.

 

[Nick]

Yes, I enjoyed the animated films. Not really sure why, just seemed to translate better as an animated film.

I can see that. I certainly have more of a connection to the actual Resident Evil characters that alludes any of the adaptations.

 

[Hattrick]

Yes, I enjoyed the animated films. Not really sure why, just seemed to translate better as an animated film.

They're better than the live-actions films. That's for certain. Although that Welcome to Raccoon City film almost worked. That new television show they did with Riddick (RIP) was a new depth in awful though.

I think we are forever doomed to an endless cycle of Resident Evil films that suck, forever and ever, until we all die.

 

[Jobie]

I liked the Resident Evil movies for what they were. They weren't great or anything, but they were alright. I believe the best chance we have is if somebody is willing to make an ambition effort at adapting Resident Evil, treating it with the same respect as The Last of Us.

You could mix-and-match a little bit. Leon's journey in Resident Evil 2 and 4 could be their own seasons, then, of course, Resident Evil 1 and 3 could be their own deals. Just a lot of material you could pull from to make something very ambitious.

 

[Tramuson]

I liked the Resident Evil movies for what they were. They weren't great or anything, but they were alright. I believe the best chance we have is if somebody is willing to make an ambition effort at adapting Resident Evil, treating it with the same respect as The Last of Us.

You could mix-and-match a little bit. Leon's journey in Resident Evil 2 and 4 could be their own seasons, then, of course, Resident Evil 1 and 3 could be their own deals. Just a lot of material you could pull from to make something very ambitious.

That would take an effort I don't think anyone would ever actually make for Resident Evil, unfortunately. And, in truth, as much as I like the games (and I do, ... just as much as Last of Us, even), they aren't narratively on the same level as something like Last of Us, they are hammy, goofy sci-fi more comparable to Evil Dead (and that's okay!).