Resident Evil Showrunner Reveals Games Are Canon to the Netflix Series

Netflix is getting ready to launch its live-action Resident Evil series this summer and has even released the first official teaser trailers for the project today. The series looks very different than the films and video games that came before it, but it seems that the series will have a similar background. According to showrunner and executive producer Andrew Dabb, Resident Evil will have no ties to the previous films, but the games are considered canon for the series. We recently got the chance to sit down with Dabb and he detailed how everything that happened in the games exists in the world of the series.

“The games are our backstory. Everything that happened in the games exists in this world. So like the village is there. We might not get there till Season 5, but it is in our world, we can play with those, you know, as we’re now moving ahead,” Dabb reveals. “The village is a resource we draw on. You know what I mean? Everything in the games, the movies are a different story. But everything in the games is the backstory for the show. So, but again, we’re doling it out in pieces. We’re not being like, episode three, like meet the Redfields, episode four, here’s Leon. And I’m sure there’s a certain part of the fan base that I’m sure would be like, please do that version. But for us, it was more important, like, let’s take you on this journey. And then as the journey goes on and on, we will touch on different quarters and aspects of the mythology.”

Not much is currently known about the series, so the knowledge that the games are canon is sure to excite even the most hardcore Resident Evil fan. The franchise just suffered a minor blow with the release of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City due to the film bombing both critically and financially, so fans definitely need a win. The series could be a big hit for the streaming service if all goes well, and after watching the trailer it’s very exciting to see what happens next. 

Netflix describes the series as follows: “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.” 

Netflix’s Resident Evil series will feature eight one-hour episodes and will be executive produced by Andrew Dabb, Mary Leah Sutton, Robert Kulzer, and Oliver Berben. The series stars Ella Balinska, Tara Smart,  Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Nuñez, Ahad Raza Mir, Connor Gossati, Turlough Convery, and Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker. All episodes of the series will hit Netflix on July 14th

Do you like the idea of the Resident Evil games being canon? Let us know in the comments section below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!