The ‘Resident Evil’ Netflix Series Is a Chillingly Smart Move

A Resident Evil Netflix series is in development, and I can’t wait to hop on board. As revealed earlier today, the streaming giant is currently looking into a television adaptation for the wildly popular horror franchise, working with Constantin Film, the folks behind the movie versions of the games. There’s no showrunner or stars attached as of yet, but its still exciting news nonetheless.

Originally released in 1996, Resident Evil was one of the first horror video games to reach mainstream popularity. Told through jump scares and gun shots, the series is set in a world facing a zombie-like apocalypse. It’s either kill or be killed as you face off with horrifying, humanoid monsters, mutated foes, and one sinister organization.

Over the years, the Resident Evil franchise has spanned 10 loose film adaptations with an 11th in consideration. But there’s a reason why Netflix is still looking at this seemingly over-produced property. Here are all the reasons why a Resident Evil series is a brilliant idea for the service:

There’s a market for horror shows, and Netflix has already started capitalizing on it.

Horror and television have had an interesting relationship over the years. Though there’s no limit to shows that can be classified as horror, from The Walking Dead to American Horror Story, most series in the sub-genre are better classified as dramas with creepy premises. Last year saw this trend change when Netflix premiered its genuinely unnerving The Haunting of Hill House and Hulu unveiled its Stephen King adaptation Castle Rock. And you know what? Both of those series were genuinely scary, as well as well regarded.

Netflix continued to embrace its genuinely dark side with the occult-leaning Chilling Adventure of Sabrina, and CBS All Access will be dipping its toes into the space with Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot later this year. The point is, fear that a show is too scary for mainstream audiences is starting to become a concern of the past. There’s a market for straight horror television, and no franchise knows the medium better than Resident Evil.

The narrative groundwork is already in place.

According to Nellie Andreeva’s scoop for Deadline, Netflix’s Resident Evil series will be produced by the same production and distribution company responsible for the Resident Evil movies, Constantin Films. That involvement implies the series may more closely follow the franchise’s movie universe rather than its gaming universe. That’s good and bad news.

On one hand, the Resident Evil movies have never been as terrifying or critically popular as the property’s games. On the other, Constantin Films has a ton of experience adapting the complicated world of the sinister Umbrella Corporation and the T-virus for a less interactive screen. A series about the inner workings of the evil organization and the zombie-like apocalypse they’ve unleashed sounds like a cool opportunity to correct the sins of Resident Evil adaptations past. After all, battling zombies has worked extraordinarily well for one cable network (that would be AMC’s Walking Dead franchise). And just because the Resident Evil series sounds like it will be sticking to the movie universe’s clearer narrative doesn’t mean the best part of the game universe needs to go away.

A Resident Evil TV adaptation could be a built-in anthology series.

Over the years, one of the coolest parts of the Resident Evil gaming series has been its narrative diversity. When it was released in 1996 the very first Resident Evil followed two members of a special police unit as they tried to escape a mansion hiding the terrible T-virus. Cut to nine years later, Resident Evil 4 was about a lowly police officer trying to save the President of the United States’ daughter from a Spanish Cult. Two years ago Resident Evil 7: Biohazard scaled things back dramatically, following one ordinary man as he searched for his wife in a creepy house owned by a strange backwoods family.

The Resident Evil games have done an interesting job in exploring different nooks, crannies, and protagonists in their post-apocalyptic world. If that strategy was applied to an anthology series, it could enhance this series’ already sprawling mystery without falling into the traps of predictable sequels. Effective horror relies on being unpredictable. Changing protagonists and stories every season could allow the Resident Evil series to pursue longevity, without sacrificing terror.

Resident Evil has one of the strongest fan bases in video game history.

To date there have been 22 Resident Evil games, two remakes, six live-action movies (with a seventh reboot in discussion), four animated movies, and multiple comics. The live-action movies alone have made an estimated $1.2 billion. This is a massive franchise that has survived since the gaming Wild West of the late 1990s, and still has a built-in fan base. Scooping it up during a time when video game adaptations are on the rise is a good call.

In addition to Netflix’s superb Castlevania, there are currently two huge gaming properties looking at their own TV adaptations. Showtime has announced it will be adapting the wildly-popular Halo, and Netflix has the prestigious Witcher III on its roster. If you’re looking for popular gaming franchises with legs, Resident Evil is a very solid next bet.

The Resident Evil hype is high right now.

Announcing a horror series about killing zombies and murderous humanoid monsters would be a good move for Netflix at any time. But you can’t ignore the timing of this particular leak: the release date for the much-hyped Resident Evil 2 remake dropped today, January 25; and fans are freaking out.

All we can say is, bring on the zombies.

Where to stream Resident Evil