Resident Evil TV series - release date, story, returning characters, more

Capcom's Resident Evil franchise is no stranger to live-action adaptations, and Netflix is helming a new one, a TV series, as a matter of fact, which is confirmed to be canon to the long-running video game series. However, unlike the past movies and video games, the upcoming Resident Evil TV takes place in the future and features mostly new characters.

At the latest Netflix Geeked, we got a brand new trailer for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the Resident Evil franchise. While fans were quick to point out the significant shift in the vibe of the TV series in comparison to both the past movies and the video games, the Resident Evil TV series could still end up being Netflix's next big blockbuster hit. With that said, here's everything you need to know about the Resident Evil TV series, including its story, release date, cast, and more.

Resident Evil TV series release date

Netflix's Resident Evil will release on 14th July 2022. The first season will consist of eight hour-long episodes and will be available in its entirety at launch for everyone to watch.

Resident Evil TV series cast

The Resident Evil TV series features an interesting choice of characters, to say the least. Fans can expect a star-studded cast and a healthy dose of fresh faces to appear when the show goes live.

Lance Reddick, who some fans may recognize as the voice of Zavala from Destiny 2 and Sylens from the Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, plays the enigmatic antagonist Albert Wesker. While Wesker is one of the most iconic villains in the Resident Evil games, his role in the upcoming TV series - outside of being a researcher at Umbrella Corporation - remains largely a mystery.

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Ella Balinska, who some fans may recognize as Jane Kano from 2019's Charlie's Angels, or as Frey Holland in the upcoming open-world action RPG Forspoken, plays the role of Jade Wesker (Wesker's elder daughter.) On the other hand, Siena Agudong, who played young Mia in F9, plays the role of Billie Wsker (Wesker's young daughter).

As for the others, below is the list of the remaining confirmed cast of characters for the Resident Evil TV series.

• Connar Gosatti as Simon
• Turlough Convery as TBH
• Lea Vivier as Susana Franco
• Bjorn Steinbach as Felix Mort
• Paolo Nunez as Evelyn Marcus
• Adeline Rudolph as TBH
• Ahad Raza Mir as Arj

Resident Evil TV series story

Resident Evil's story takes place in two different timelines, both unfolding from Jade Wesker's perspective. The first timeline follows Albert Wesker and his daughters Jade and Billie in 2022 as they begin their life in "New Racoon City."

The second timeline takes place 14 years in the future, in 2036, after a T-virus outbreak in 2022 that left society on the brink of collapse. The story follows an older Jade who struggles to survive in this crumbling world while still trying to cope with the events of New Racoon City, primarily due to her father's connection to the Umbrella Corporation and to whatever happened to her sister Billie.

According to the show's official 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 is haunted by her past in New Raccoon City, by her father's chilling connections to the Umbrella Corporation but mostly by what happened to her sister, Billie." 

The two timelines will be synonymous with each other and will slowly piece together the overarching narrative. While the trailer paints a picture of an experience that's vastly different from the Resident Evil video game experiences, there are also subtle similarities between the two. For instance, the iconic zombie dog returns and looks more gruesome than ever.

Will Leon, Chris, or Ethan appear in the Resident Evil TV series?

The showrunner Andrew Dabb confirmed in an interview with EW that the upcoming TV adaptation is indeed cannon to the video game series. "The games are our backstory. Everything that happens in the games exists in this world," Dabb said while also hinting at taking inspirations from 2021's Resident Evil Village for the show's next season. "As we're moving ahead and talking about scripts for season 2, the village is a resource we can draw on."
While Dabb's statements don't necessarily confirm the return of Ethan Winters, the protagonist of Resident Evil Village, or Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy, the protagonists of Resident Evil 1, 5, and 6, and 2, 4, and 6, respectively, it does open up the sheer possibility of them appearing (or at least being referenced) in the show in some capacity whether this season or future seasons.

Chris' appearance, or at least a mere reference, makes more sense since he was responsible for killing Wesker in Resident Evil 5. Speaking of which, Wesker is indeed resurrected for the upcoming TV series, the explanation for which will probably be tucked away somewhere in Season 1 of the TV series.

How to watch the Resident Evil TV series

As if it wasn't painfully obvious, the upcoming Resident Evil TV series will be available to stream on Netflix starting 14th July 2022. Fans should expect all episodes to be available at once rather than weekly episodic releases like HBO.

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Featured image courtesy of Netflix.