Resident Evil live-action TV series confirmed by Netflix, details revealed

Netflix is confirming its live-action Resident Evil TV series and has revealed a lot of new information about the story line and behind-the-scenes details.

First, the streaming service has officially greenlit the project — which is based on the popular survival horror video game franchise – for eight hourlong episodes.

Andrew Dabb (Supernatural) will serve as showrunner, and Bronwen Hughes (The Walking Dead) will executive-produce and direct the first two episodes.

The series is described as a brand-new story spread across two different timelines: "In the first timeline, fourteen-year-old sisters Jade and Billie Wesker are moved to New Raccoon City. A manufactured, corporate town, forced on them right as adolescence is in full swing. But the more time they spend there, the more they come to realize that the town is more than it seems and their father may be concealing dark secrets. Secrets that could destroy the world … Cut to the second timeline, well over a decade into the future: there are less than fifteen million people left on Earth. And more than six billion monsters — people and animals infected with the T-virus. Jade, now thirty, struggles to survive in this New World, while the secrets from her past — about her sister, her father and herself — continue to haunt her."

"Resident Evil is my favorite game of all time," Dabb said in a statement. "I'm incredibly excited to tell a new chapter in this amazing story and bring the first ever Resident Evil series to Netflix members around the world. For every type of Resident Evil fan, including those joining us for the first time, the series will be complete with a lot of old friends, and some things (bloodthirsty, insane things) people have never seen before."

Capcom debuted Resident Evil on PlayStation in 1996, and it's since sold more than 100 million games worldwide. The title has been adapted into six movies and theme park attractions. With a box office total of $1.2 billion, Resident Evil is the most successful movie franchise based on a video game. The Netflix show has no premiere date yet.

With AMC's The Walking Dead having declined in the ratings over the years, there have been a few promising projects vying to fill the zombie thriller space. HBO is working on a series based on another hit survival horror video game, The Last of Us, with Chernobyl producer Craig Mazin.

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