Video game adaptations have never had the best reputation in the film industry. Before HBO's universally acclaimed The Last of Us series and the box office hit Sonic the Hedgehog films, studios struggled to give the medium's best stories proper representation on the big or small screen. One adaptation that never saw the light of day, however, had the chance to change everything - a Resident Evil film by the master of zombies that inspired the games, George A. Romero. Now, a documentary, appropriately titled George Romero's Resident Evil, will explore what could've been in that mythical film, and a new trailer teases the wild story.
The trailer kicks off with narration from Romero himself as he remarks on the influence he had on the original Resident Evil. Especially with its campy intro, slow, shuffling zombies, and a story of military squad mates stuck in a mansion where they come to blows with both the beasts and each other, the game hearkened back to Romero's classics like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. Accompanying Romero's comments are a mix of new footage, game footage, and scenes from the director's films that set a creepy ambiance for this dive into film history. As we explore the iconic Spencer Mansion from the game, interview clips and snippets from news stories demonstrate how the horror icon had deep ties with the game franchise and how perfect a fit it was that he'd helm the film adaptation. The stories also show how the project ultimately fell apart with Romero eventually leaving the project altogether.
George Romero's Resident Evil is billed as a love letter for fans, presenting the documentary as a terrifying walk through the Spencer Mansion with S.T.A.R.S. for clues like the original game. It will showcase archived footage along with "unearthed documents" that tell the full "What if?" story of the ill-fated film with plenty of interviews from prominent figures involved. On top of it all, the film landed a special voice Resident Evil fans might recognize. In a mirror of his iconic narration of the game's title, Ward E. Sexton ends the trailer by reading the documentary's title in the same voice.
Brandon Salisbury makes his directorial debut with the documentary and serves as co-writer with Robbie McGregor. Producing the film is the group Residence of Evil which creates content and covers all things related to the beloved horror game franchise including the recent Resident Evil 4 remake.
Resident Evil Hasn't Had the Best History of Adaptations
That the Romero adaptation never came to fruition is especially heartbreaking considering the series of lackluster Resident Evil adaptations. Most recently, Netflix tried its hand at the franchise with a live-action series featuring Ella Belinska and the late-great Lance Reddick among others. Despite the love put in by the actors and others involved, it was a notorious failure and only lasted one season on the streamer. A new animated adaptation, Resident Evil: Death Island, will try again to capture the magic of the series this Summer.
There's no release date for George Romero's Resident Evil yet, though it is due out sometime later this year. Check out the fun, creepy trailer below.