Resident Evil Reboots To Be Produced By Saw And Insidious Mastermind James Wan

Did you really think Resident Evil: The Final Chapter would be the franchise’s final turn on the big screen? Appropriately, this series is not one to stay dead.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter tore up the box office, scoring record-setting numbers in China on the way to becoming the most popular entry in the long-running series, with a worldwide take of $312 million. Given that context, it didn’t come as a huge shock when Constantin Films announced yesterday that the series was up for a full reboot, with six new movies planned.

The new Resident Evil films will seemingly cast aside longtime series producer/director Paul W.S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich, who was surprised as anybody when ComicBook reached her for comment:

“They’ve announced a reboot? Okay, well good luck with that. I think what made Resident Evil so special is that the people involved really loved what they’re doing and really were fans of the game. I would suggest that you find people that have that same passion for the property before you talk about reboots.”

Well, I don’t think we have to worry about the talent behind the new Resident Evil movies. According to Deadline, the Resident Evil reboot will be produced by James Wan, who has built himself a horror empire over the past decade, producing and directing movies like Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, and Annabelle. He’s also branched out into action, directing Furious 7 and the upcoming Aquaman movie. If there’s one guy perfectly suited to bringing Resident Evil‘s combination of horror and action to the big screen, it’s James Wan.

We’ve also learned the new Resident Evil flicks will be written by Greg Russo, who has experience with video game adaptations, as he’s working on the upcoming Mortal Kombat film reboot. Russo is also writing a live-action version of Robotech and the hurricane disaster movie, Category 6.

The new Resident Evil movies will fall under the Sony Pictures banner. Release dates have yet to be announced. Resident Evil 7, the most recent video game in the series, is available now for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

[via Deadline]