Netflix recently dropped a trailer for its much-anticipated live-action series, The Walking Dead by threading the same apocalyptic path.
The futuristic, eight-episode Resident Evil TV series is set in 2036, at a time humans fight to stay alive after surviving the T-Virus. It also follows the events of a 2022 apocalypse after the Resident Evil TV adaptation’s main character, Jade, moves to New Raccoon City, built by Umbrella Corporations, a controversial pharmaceutical company. Netflix’s Resident Evil shuffles between these two timelines as it explores the relationship between the show’s characters and the events that led to a fresh zombie onslaught.
The Resident Evil trailer hints that the zombie outbreak is tied to Albert Wesker, Jade’s father, who is developing a new drug called Joy. It's intended to work as an antidepressant and counter to anxiety and OCD, but unfortunately carries strains of the deadly T-Virus known for changing human biology and creating monsters in the process. Once again, Wesker returns as the evil mastermind working for Umbrella to run the world over with blood-thirsty creatures, kicking off another apocalypse. Instead of a straight-up sci-fi horror flick, Netflix’s Resident Evil frames its story around an Umbrella conspiracy and digs deeper into how Jade and her family fit into the plot.
How The Zombie Outbreak Is Caused In Resident Evil Games
In all four Resident Evil video games, zombies are a staple feature, a biological weapon emanating from the T-Virus, a mutant strain engineered by Umbrella Corporation, where Wesker works. The Raccoon City outbreak, for one, was caused by certain actions of Umbrella employees, with one releasing the T-Virus in the Racoon Forest and another releasing the G-Virus in the city. Umbrella’s influence in the city’s media helped them dissuade suspicions that the city’s water supply, where their employee dumped the G-Virus, was infected.
In Netflix’s Resident Evil TV adaptation, the T-Virus returns, leaving few survivors and hundreds of zombies roaming the Earth. The showrunners reveal that the series takes a new spin on the old storyline for its adaptation, which is a rather refreshing approach considering previous Resident Evil adaptations stuck to the old theme. Netflix’s decision to rework the story gives life to the assumption that the TV adaption of Resident Evil may be the best yet in the beloved franchise.
The Resident Evil series premieres July 14th on Netflix.