The RESIDENT EVIL film franchise finally came to an end in 2016 with RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER, but it didn't take long until it was announced that a reboot was in development because there's obviously still money to be made. Variety has now reported that Johannes Roberts, director and co-writer of the surprisingly successful survival thriller 47 METERS DOWN, has signed on to bring us the next installment of the RESIDENT EVIL franchise.
Constantin Film have tapped Johannes Roberts with writing and directing the RESIDENT EVIL reboot which is expected to kick off production in 2019 with an all-new cast. Sorry, Milla Jovovich. The previous six films followed Alice (Jovovich) as she battled against the nefarious Umbrella Corporation who had triggered a world-wide zombie apocalypse. As the movie franchise continued, they increasingly embraced the action over the survival horror aspects, which is something I really hope they bring back in the reboot. Of course, seeing as how the last film in the series wound up as the highest-grossing installment, there might not be too much motivation to change things up.
What are you hoping to see in the RESIDENT EVIL reboot?
In addition to 47 METERS DOWN, Johannes Roberts has also helmed THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR and THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT. Roberts is also working on 47 METERS DOWN: THE NEXT CHAPTER, which will find the shark-filled action moving to Brazil where it will follow a group of young women looking for adventure in the coastal metropolis of Recife. "Hoping to get off the well-worn tourist trail, they hear about some hidden underwater ruins only to find that the turquoise waves of their secret Atlantis aren’t completely uninhabited." It's expected that the sequel will hit theaters in 2019.