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James Wan's "Resident Evil" reboot gets a writer-director

More than a year since the reboot plan was announced, it finally finds a helmer


The original Milla Jovovich-starring "Resident Evil" film series ended
its run after six entries.

6 Dec – When he's not busy directing movies, James Wan is busy producing them and he's finally found a helmer for one of his bigger projects – the reboot of the high-grossing "Resident Evil" live-action movie franchise.

Johannes Roberts has been tapped to both write and direct the action-horror reboot, according to Variety.

Roberts would no doubt be injecting the same brand of chilling suspense he's showcased in his previous movies, such as "47 Meters Down" and "The Strangers: Prey at Night", into the new "Resident Evil" movies.

The plan for the reboot was announced in mid-2017, after the original Milla Jovovich-starring franchise, helmed by writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson, wrapped up with its sixth instalment earlier that year (or late 2016 in some territories).


Constantin Film, who is producing with Wan's Atomic Monster, revealed back then its plan to do six new movies for the reboot with an all-new cast. Greg Russo, who wrote the first draft of the script, stated last month that it was inspired by the seventh game, "Resident Evil VII: Biohazard".

Russo isn't sure if Wan, who came on board to produce only a year after Russo started working on the script, will be using his draft but seeing that horror is Wan's forte and "Biohazard" is a return to the game franchise's horror roots (the games have become more action than horror over the years), chances are it won't be binned.

Production on the "Resident Evil" reboot is expected to begin in 2019.

In the meantime, those who have yet to watch a Roberts-directed movie can familiarise themselves with his work when the shark-infested "47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter" swims onto the big screen next year.