Resident Evil fans got a nice surprise earlier this month when Netflix finally revealed some details of their new live-action show based on the survival horror franchise. The show will focus on series villain Albert Wesker, first introduced way back in the 1996 original as a member of S.T.A.R.S. who betrays his team-mates in order to conduct experiments on Umbrella’s biological weapons.
He was a major presence in several games in the series, popping back up in CODE: Veronica and Resident Evil 5 with virus-induced superpowers and a plan for complete global saturation. Wesker is a fun, theatrical, and melodramatic villain, and Netflix has knocked it out of the park by casting The Wire, John Wick, and Horizon Zero Dawn‘s Lance Reddick in the role.
Reddick couldn’t be happier, tweeting:
“I’m so excited to finally announce this. Get ready to enter New Raccoon City with the cast of the new live-action Resident Evil series: I’ll be playing Albert Wesker!”
Exact plot details aren’t known yet, though the official synopsis says it’ll be set three decades after the T-Virus was first discovered and center on a new outbreak. Rumor has it that this story will be split into two timelines, one following Wesker’s teenage daughters as they move to Raccoon City and learn about their Dad’s viral escapades and another ten years later in which they’re struggling through a monster-filled apocalypse.
A hint of what’s coming may be found in Resident Evil 6, which saw character Jake Muller learn that he’s Wesker’s son and have to deal with the consequences. His family lineage gave him immunity to the various Umbrella-concocted pathogens, so his daughters may have the same perk.
Whatever the case this sounds like a fine entry in a bumper year for Resident Evil fans, with new games, films, and multimedia elements set to pop up as we celebrate its 25th anniversary.