Falling into a volcano is an automatic death for most, but in the world of Resident Evil does anyone really die? The new live-action show, simply titled Resident Evil, brings back a central character who took a big dip in a lava bath: Albert Wesker.
He’s a well-known name for fans of the franchise, and the Umbrella Corporation scientist makes a big return.
At a recent special screening of Resident Evil at the London hotel in West Hollywood, executive producer Andrew Dabb confirmed the series follows the storylines set in the video games, which include Wesker’s fiery death.
Check out the post-screening panel below. (Warning: It contains some spoilers.)
“The games that have been published to date, that's our backstory,” executive producer Andrew Dabb explained during the post-screening panel. “So everything that happened in the game has happened in real life... or in the show anyway.”
Dabb also wanted to center the series on family. “If you look at the games, it's always about family and fairly dysfunctional families,” Dabb said. “When we got into this, we wanted to set it on our family. That always worked, and it makes things relatable, especially things that are exaggerated as [a postapocalyptic zombie world].”
Dabb wondered which character was the most relatable and interesting from the franchise, and the name Albert Wesker popped up. But there was a volcano-sized challenge. “Well, the problem is, he’s dead,” Dabbs said.
The show fits into the chronology and universe of the video games, which saw Wesker perish after falling into a volcano in 2009’s Resident Evil 5 video game.
“[Wesker] died years ago in the games,” Dabb said. “So [we wondered]: ‘How do we bring him back in a cool way?’”
Wesker’s resurrection plays a central role in the live-action series, and his relationship with his two young daughters, Resident Evil universe newcomers Jade (Tamara Smart) and Billie (Siena Agudong), helps ground the storyline. Veteran actor Lance Reddick, known for his work in The Wire and the John Wick films, breathes life into the previously toasted Wesker.
Reddick admitted he wasn’t familiar with the video game franchise at first.
“I’m embarrassed to say that when I first became aware of this project, I had heard of Resident Evil, and I only knew the movies. So I had no idea that it was even a video game,” Reddick explained during the panel. “[Wesker’s] presence in the movies is so small that I didn’t even remember who he was.” But when the project came to him, he was hooked by what was on the page.
“I thought this character is so different from anything I’ve ever done,” Reddick said. “And there are so many layers, and I love the story so much. On top of that, there are all these action scares. I thought: ‘I have to play this role.’”
Reddick says his role wasn’t simply about researching the character from the games. Instead, he worked hard to bring what was on the page — and Wesker himself — to life.
Resident Evil is streaming now.
