It’s never been a secret that the wildly popular “Resident Evil” video games were partially inspired by horror legend George A. Romero. But did you know he almost directed the live-action film adaptation?
The documentary “George A. Romero’s Resident Evil” directed by Brandon Salisbury, who co-wrote the script with Robbie McGregor, has just gotten its first trailer. The project will explore the failed partnership between Romero and video game developer, Capcom. Telling the story through archived footage, unearthed documents, and newly filmed interviews with a wide variety of personalities.
To give a rough overview of the movie that could have been. In early 1997, Capcom originally pursued Alan McElroy (“Spawn”) to create a live-action adaptation of the horror survival game. He was even consulted for script duties in the early stages of the film. While the partnership didn’t come to fruition, McElroy still receives a story credit on the first movie, which was eventually directed by Paul W.S. Anderson in 2002.
By 1998 the company had its sights set on Romero, after he directed a Japanese commercial for the “Resident Evil 2” video game. The goal was to get the movie out before “Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” came out in September 1999.
Though Romero did seem hesitant about taking the gig, to begin with. “I don’t wanna make another film with zombies in it, and I couldn’t make a movie based on something that ain’t mine,” he said. While creating “Night of The Living Dead” certainly made him the “zombie guy” it makes sense that he wouldn’t want that title permanently, especially with someone else’s IP.
Later on, Yoshiki Okamoto, a producer at Capcom, gave a slightly different version of events. “His script wasn’t good…So Romero was fired,” he told Electronic Gaming Monthly. Something the filmmaker responded to in a 2000 interview. “I don’t think they were into the spirit of the video game and wanted to make it more of a war movie, something heavier than I thought it should be. So I think they just never liked my script,” Romero told DGA magazine (via Bloody Disgusting).
While there is no set release date for “George A. Romero’s Resident Evil,” it is slated for sometime in 2024. We’ll keep you posted on updates about this project as they become available. In the meantime, check out the trailer below:
