‘Resident Evil’: Netflix’s Show Gets a Full Trailer

Netflix has released a full-length trailer for its Resident Evil series as part of its “Geeked Week” showcase. The clip gives a more comprehensive view of the upcoming series based on the long-running video game series turned movie franchise. In addition to giant spiders and an enormous wormlike creature that emerges from underground, there are zombie hordes shown in the previous teaser.

Netflix announced the series in August 2020, which was greenlit with eight one-hour-long episodes. It is the first live-action series adaptation of the franchise, which first debuted as a video game in 1996. There have also been seven feature films inspired by the title and a Netflix animated series that premiered on July 20, 2021.

According to the official Resident Evil description, “Year 2036 – 14 years after a deadly virus caused a global apocalypse, Jade Wesker fights for survival in a world overrun by the blood-thirsty infected and insane creatures. In this absolute carnage, Jade (Ella Balinska; played at a younger age by Tamara Smart) is haunted by her past in New Raccoon City, by her father’s (Lance Reddick) chilling connections to the Umbrella Corporation but mostly by what happened to her sister, Billie (Adeline Rudolph and Siena Agudong.”

Despite not precisely following the narratives of the popular video games or film franchises, the new series shares quite a few common traits, according to Netflix. “Namely, a strong female lead fighting for survival, a sinister Umbrella Corporation pulling the strings, and plenty of gnarly monsters looking for a human-sized meal along the way,” reads the trailer announcement on the streamer’s website. 

“Resident Evil — the horror franchise’s first live-action series — intercuts between two parallel stories, one set before the apocalypse and one set after. Both halves follow Jade Wesker (Ella Balinska), who is haunted by the loved ones she lost to the T-Virus — as well as by her father Albert Wesker’s (Lance Reddick, the elegant concierge from the John Wick films) ties to the Umbrella Corporation.”

Resident Evil’s hallmark elements, including action sequences and easter eggs, will appear on the TV show, said showrunner Andrew Dabb. Known for his work on Supernatural, Dabb is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the upcoming series, Deadline reported.

“Resident Evil is my favorite game of all time,” said Dabb. “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.” In addition to characters from the franchise, Dabb hinted that new monsters would also appear on the show.

“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 (blood-thirsty, insane things) people have never seen before,” he said. Netflix is currently streaming the Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness anime series before the new show’s premiere on July 14.