Resident Evil Netflix Series Casts John Wick Actor As Main Villain
A John Wick actor has been cast as the main Resident Evil villain.
This article is more than 2 years old
Netflix has finally unveiled the main cast for the upcoming live-action Resident Evil series. The show is set to feature John Wick alum Lance Reddick, as the main villain Albert Wesker. The announcement was made during the streaming giant’s final day of Geeked Week.
Lance Reddick will be the first actor of color to portray Albert Wesker in the history of the Resident Evil franchise. Mostly known for his work on The Wire, Fringe, and Bosch, he is also an accomplished voice actor. Reddick’s vocal talents can be heard in multiple games including Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and the Destiny franchise.
Based on Capcom’s popular survival video game franchise, the project was announced last year and will feature eight hour-long episodes. Resident Evil is the brainchild of Supernatural executive producer/co-showrunner Andrew Dabb and produced by Constantin Film, which is behind the Resident Evil movie. Bronwen Hughes (The Walking Dead) will also produce and direct the first two episodes (via Deadline).
The Netflix series will feature a brand new story set across two timelines.
In the first timeline, 14-year-old sisters Jade and Billie Wesker are moved to New Raccoon City. A manufactured, corporate town forced on them in the midst of adolescence. 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 that could destroy the world.
The second timeline takes place more than a decade into the future. There are less than 15 million people left on Earth and more than six billion monsters (people and animals infected with the T-virus). Jade, who’s now 30 years old, struggles to survive in this New World, while the secrets from her past (about her sister, her father, and herself) continue to haunt her.
Starring alongside Reddick is Ella Balinska (Charlie’s Angels), Adeline Rudolph (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Tamara Smart (A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting), Siena Agudong (No Good Nick), and Paola Nuñez (Bad Boys for Life). Details on which characters these actors will be playing are still a mystery for now.
Since its release in 1996, Resident Evil has become one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time with more than 100 million games sold worldwide. The game’s story follows Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, members of an elite task force known as S.T.A.R.S., as they investigate the outskirts of Raccoon City following the disappearance of their team members. But they soon become trapped in a mansion infested with zombies and other monsters.
The game went on to inspire six movies that have grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide, making Resident Evil the most successful movie franchise based on a video game.
But before the live-action Resident Evil series goes into production, an anime series called Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is set to debut on Netflix next month. Starring video game voice actors Nick Apostolides and Stephanie Panisello, the story will focus on fan-favorite characters Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness will debut on July 8, 2021.
