Resident Evil reboot movie: Images give us first look at Racoon Police Department! Here's what we know about its release date, trailer, cast and more

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Horror game franchise Resident Evil is no stranger to the big screen. Capcom’s zombie thriller series was first adapted into a live-action movie all the way back in 2002. The Milla Jovovich-starring actioner was a surprise hit, kickstarting a six-film saga that earned a total of $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office – making it the highest-grossing film series based on a video game.

That’s obviously a lot of money – and money talks in Hollywood. So no one thought that 2016’s The Final Chapter was actually going to be, well, the final chapter. And they were right: the film series is being brought back from the dead courtesy of a brand new reboot – one that will be heading back to a pre-outbreak Raccoon City for a scary origin story.

The new film will be written and directed by Johannes Roberts, who’s probably best known for underwater survival horror 47 Metres Down. In a statement reported by THR, Roberts said: “With this movie, I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them, while at the same time, telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences.”

Keep reading for everything we know about the Resident Evil reboot movie.

Resident Evil reboot set photos

It appears that filming for the Resident Evil reboot has started as fans of the series have started posting photos of the movie's set found nearby, including of the Racoon Police Department.

The RPD building featured heavily in Resident Evil 2, suggesting the upcoming movie could focus on the earlier titles from the Resident Evil series, which will likely please longtime fans.

Resident Evil reboot movie story

As Roberts has suggested, the new movie will be going back to basics – which, given the overblown, action-heavy direction that the series previously took, probably isn’t a bad thing.

The new film will be an origin story set in Raccoon City – the fictional American metropolis that becomes ground zero for a devastating virus outbreak, which kickstarts a zombie apocalypse. The source? The HQ of sinister conglomerate the Umbrella Corporation, which has a sideline in developing biological weapons…

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Resident Evil reboot movie cast

The new movie already has an impressive cast in place to play a roster of classic Resident Evil game characters. Leading the pack is Kaya Scodelario (the Maze Runner trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge, Crawl), who’s starring as Claire Redfield. Robbie Amell (TV’s The Flash) is down to play her onscreen brother, Chris Redfield.

Donal Logue, known for playing Harvey Bullock in Gotham, is switching from the Gotham PD to the Racoon City PD as he takes on the role of Chief Irons.

Hannah John-Kamen, who starred as villain Ghost in Ant-Man And The Wasp, is playing elite cop Jill Valentine – a Resident Evil icon.

Rounding out the cast are Tom Hopper (Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy) as Umbrella Corp researcher and bad egg Albert Wesker; Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as counterterrorist agent Leon Kennedy; and Neal McDonough (Captain America: The First Avenger) as conflicted virologist William Birkin.

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Resident Evil reboot movie trailer

There’s no trailer for the film just yet. Although the cast is in place, it’s still early days in the production and cameras haven’t started rolling. We’ll update this as soon as a trailer drops. And you might not have to wait too long…

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Resident Evil reboot movie release date

Although no official date has been confirmed, production company Screen Gems is lining up the movie for a 2021 release. Previous Resident Evil films have been turned around pretty quickly. However, given the production has a real-life pandemic to contend with this time around, that’s still an ambitious target.

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