Resident Evil: The George Romero movie we never got
Resident Evil: image via PlayStation.com
George Romero called Resident Evil a flashback to the genre he created and he felt flattered to have influenced the game in any way possible. Romero was so influential that he was asked to direct a live-action trailer for the (then) upcoming sequel to Resident Evil.
This commercial marked Romero’s first return to the genre since Day of the Dead. It took Resident Evil 2’s advertising to pull the father of zombies out of hiatus and refuel his craving to scare us all to death.
That commercial was successful enough for a feature-length RE film to be greenlit with George Romero — rightfully — in the director’s seat. What would you get if you gave a blockbuster horror franchise (about zombies) to the pioneer of the zombie craze? Well, it sounds nothing short of pure genius!
George Romero was once again in his realm and given his cult-classic successes with features like the :Living Dead” trilogy and Creepshow we can only imagine what he would do with the hottest selling survival horror game at the time.
Zombie learns to shave in movie art for the film ‘Day Of The Dead’, 1985. (Photo by United Film Distribution Company/Getty Images)
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And that’s all we can do — imagine. Somehow this dream-come-true horror epic never made it past pre-production. Romero admitted that he loved the script and said it was very frustrating to lose the project. He said that the script went through eight different drafts and they busted their butts on this thing to get it right. According to him, Capcom loved it and so did executives.
German company bought the rights to Resident Evil and Constantin Film didn’t see the value in the project. Romero said the guy who made the final decision ‘didn’t even know what the hell a video game was.’ via DEADPIT radio (10.26.07). ‘He looked at the script and said: “This isn’t what I bought.” He just wanted it to be something else.’
Paul W. S. Anderson was chosen to replace a legendary Master of Horror. RE became a way for his wife Milla Jovovich to stay employed as she post-Matrix style actioned her way across a dead planet for six films. Uuuuugggghhhhh.
What Would Romero’s ‘Resident Evil’ Have Been Like?
Romero’s script took place in the Spencer Mansion as did the original game. It also featured Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker, giving us a far more faithful adaptation of the original game. Wesker was the main villain who sought to claim the frozen tyrant. The film also promised to be a suspenseful and traditional horror film and promised lots of gore.
We got cheated out of a wicked experience. If you’re displeased by the Resident Evil movies they did make, you’re not alone. George Romero has said he didn’t like the movies either. Such a wasted opportunity. Romero did go on to make the successful Land of the Dead, which was the first zombie movie I ever watched.
It’s been announced that Resident Evil is undergoing a reboot treatment and will follow more to the RE7 storyline. Meanwhile, we are also getting a Resident Evil Netflix show. It’s sad we didn’t get Romero’s vision of Resident Evil but the script has surfaced online and is free to read for anyone curious.
This has been Manic Exorcism once again wishing all my nasties braaaaaaains!
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Fan of the Capcom franchise? Think George Romero would have brought justice to Resident Evil? Let the other zombies know what you think in the comment section below.