Resident Evil adaptations have been around for years thanks to the action franchise of films, but the latest spin on the survival horror games comes in the form of a mystery box Netflix series. The show takes place in two distinct time periods and follows a group of central characters through the downfall of society and then years later in the midst of the post-apocalypse. But could the show jump to another time and show things further back - perhaps during the original Raccoon City disaster?
The Resident Evil show’s earlier time period is set in New Raccoon City. The cookie cutter community is built around Umbrella and basically everyone who lives there is connected to the sinister company (that is working on developing consumer mood enhancing drugs this time around). There are references to the original Raccoon City, but the devastation that took place there is only alluded to throughout the show’s first season.
The show sets up a world that is full of interesting lore and mysteries and uses the video game's world as the backstory for its setting and characters. It's clear that everything that happened in the early games have shaped this world, but a lot of the details are left to the imagination and new fans would be able to follow along even if they have no idea what happened back around 1998.
During a recent interview with Game Rant, executive producer and show runner Andrew Dabb opened up a bit about the chances of the series bringing in another time period in the future…
Game Rant: So far we have two distinct stories happening in different time periods, is there any chance that we’ll see a third time period before or after one of those?
Andrew Dabb: I think you are going to see - and you see a little bit in season 1 - some more classic moments from the games. Some things that are more deeply imbedded in the game timeline. I don’t know that we’re looking to introduce a full third timeline - two is probably enough - but I think little pops and flashes here and there can be really fun and can present moments from the game which are obviously part of our lore to the audience in a way that informs the current story that’s going on.
Although it sounds like there won't be full timeline centered around the events of the late 1990s, it is pretty exciting to hear that fans may get to see more of those moments and perhaps even see some other iconic characters pop up in this world. There's already a pretty big teaser towards the end of season one, so fingers crossed that's just the tip of the iceberg as the show's world continues to grow.
Be sure to check back for more Resident Evil coverage in the near future now that the first season has dropped.
Resident Evil is available now on Netflix.