A new Resident Evil movie is in the works and the director says it will be a lot more similar to the game series than previous entries. This new take on the film series is being helmed by 47 Meters Down and The Strangers: Prey at Night director Johannes Roberts.
The movies based on gaming's most popular and enduring survival horror franchise Resident Evil were always a bit more action-packed than the old games. Directed by Paul W.S Anderson, these action romps were still fairly successful in terms of box office hauls and only recently wrapped up their story with 2017's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Roberts' Resident Evil movie seems to be taking a different approach which aims to recapture the tone of the original games.
"We are in active development of that at the moment. I pitched them a take, and they really loved it." Roberts told Screen Rant. "It’s gonna be super scary. It’s super, super scary. And it’s just getting back to the roots of the game."
The quote suggests a new direction for the films that is more horror focused as opposed to action. The first few games were focused on exploration, puzzle-solving, and scaring players as frequently as possible. These games were a breakthrough for the survival horror genre and while they are corny, they still contain genuinely tense situations. As Resident Evil die-hards can tell you even the games took a more action oriented approach after the success of Resident Evil 4, but recent titles like Resident Evil 7 and the extremely well received Resident Evil 2 remake have brought the style of the old games back into fashion.
Given recent rumors of a new Resident Evil getting an announcement sometime in the near future, now seems like the right time to give the movies another shot. It also may suggest a more nostalgic, campy take reminiscent of the cheesy dialogue that the PlayStation Resident Evil games were known for.
Roberts' vision seems like a great next step for the franchise for fans who haven't necessarily seen what they like about the franchise in the Anderson movies. No fretting for those who liked them, though, because Anderson is back at it again turning games into action blockbusters with the Monster Hunter movie adaptation.
The Resident Evil movie reboot is in active development.
Source: Screen Rant