Resident Evil's cinematic reboot arrives this September

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Welcome back to Raccoon City, circa 1998.

Resident Evil 2
(Image credit: Capcom)

It's been some time since Paul W.S. Anderson's notoriously camp Resident Evil movies wrapped up. But Redfield and the gang are returning to the streets of Racoon City later this year, thanks to a cinematic reboot courtesy of writer/director Johannes Roberts.

Announced back in 2019, actor Chad Rook (who'll play STARS member Richard Aiken) teased the date in a tweet earlier today (hanks, VGC).

A complete break from the existing Milla Jovovich fronted movies, Roberts' reboot is a fresh start, away from the nonsensical (if very fun) extremes of the previous series. The new flick is reportedly more grounded in the events of Resident Evil 1 and 2, taking place during the initial infection of Raccoon City in 1998.

"It’s gonna be super scary," Roberts said, back in 2019. "It’s super, super scary. And it’s just getting back to the roots of the game. I think, at the moment, I’m not really allowed to say much more than that. But it’s gonna be a lot of fun."

Beyond a new film, Resident Evil is also getting a Netflix series, one that's been confirmed canon within the existing franchise (the new movie is notably not, if you care about that sort of thing). Back in videogames, Resident Evil Village will bring Capcom's horror series back on May 7th.

Will the movie be good? Will it be bad? Will it secretly star the internet's favourite nine-foot-tall vampire queen? We'll find out when the film premieres on September 3rd.

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.