Resident Evil films, as we know them, could’ve been different only if the late George A. Romero had entered the arena. He was an American-Canadian director known for the Night of the Living Dead series, which was also a major contributor to shaping the presentation of zombies as we see them today. Little did many know that he was this close to directing the first RE movie.
The first film in the action-horror series arrived in 2002, starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Joseph May, and more. Though the movie was a commercial success, generating $103 million in revenue against a $33 million budget, it wasn’t received well by the fans and critics. What’s more, it landed on the most hated list of renowned Chicago Sun-Times journalist Roger Ebert.
Sir Romero’s Resident Evil Films Might Have Been Different
Directed by Brandon Salisbury, the new documentary called George A. Romero’s Resident Evil is around the corner, and a new poster for the much-awaited documentary has surfaced on the internet. The documentary will explore what happened to Sir Romero’s RE script, which could have been ‘the ultimate experience in survival horror.’
“He would not sell his soul just to get a film done,” an image of the poster shared by one RE content creator dubbed BioDeclassified read.
BREAKING: NEW poster reveal for George A Romero’s RESIDENT EVIL Documentary… the HYPE is unimaginable right now. Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/D22oOOfcA0
— Andy 👁️ Biohazard Declassified (@BioDeclassified) April 17, 2024
George’s RE has haunted horror fans for around two decades, and now they are finally going to confront it. Although he didn’t direct the film, Capcom did hire the Night of the Dead series creator to direct a live-action Resident Evil commercial in 1998.
In one behind-the-scenes featurette, Romero explained that despite it being a commercial, they wanted it to appear like a movie. In one interview, he revealed there were five or six drafts for a potential film. Unfortunately, all of them were rejected.
All That Remains Are the Documents and the Documentary
Although the documentary will take a deeper dive into Goerge A. Romero’s attempt at a Resident Evil movie, fans can read the original draft available on one writing resource for writers and actors. It was posted by Rob McGregor, who explained on his website that the author’s death prompted him to make the document available publicly. In 2019, the University of Pittsburgh got hold of his works, which included material on his work on the action-horror franchise.
Now that the possibility of an RE film directed by Goerge A. Romero has passed on to another life, fans can learn the story of what the film segment of the franchise could have been when the documentary arrives.
Apart from that, the gaming segment of the franchise has seen a fair share of remakes lately. However, the release date of the next game remains all but confirmed. Moreover, it is rumored to take place in an open-world setting. The series took a different route from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, shifted the stance from third-person to first-person, and is likely to follow the same path with RE 9.
What are you expecting from the RE documentary? We would like to know your thoughts in the comments section.
