‘Resident Evil’ Franchise Set for a Reboot (EXCLUSIVE)
John Hopewell, Chief International Correspondent
@john_hopewell
MAY 21, 2017 | 10:48AM PT

Germany’s Constantin Film to produce, as on original six-movie franchise

The “Resident Evil” movie franchise has not ended after all.

Details such as the reboot director, stars, and how the reboot would fit into the franchise narrative are being kept under wraps. But Martin Moszkowicz, chairman of the board at Constantin Film, did confirm to Variety at the Cannes Film Festival that a reboot is in development at the giant German production company, which owns rights to the franchise and has produced all of its installments.

The franchise was set to end with this year’s “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” which grossed $312 million worldwide after its January release, including an eye-popping $160 million in China alone. Sony helped sow the seeds of success by securing a release for “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “Resident Evil: Extinction” in China. - Cha-ching!

Based on the Capcom video game, the series launched in 2002 with Paul W.S. Anderson directing, and Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Bernd Eichinger, and Samuel Hadida producing the first of a six-movie series. The “Resident Evil” movie franchise has earned $1.2 billion worldwide to date, making it Europe’s most successful independent horror-genre movie franchise in history and the highest-grossing film series to be based on a video game.

“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” was again directed by Anderson and produced by Bolt with Hadida and Constantin’s Robert Kluizer, and exec produced by Moszkowicz.

Distributed by Screen Gems in the U.S., all six “Resident Evils” have starred Milla Jovovich. Anderson has written all six of the installments and directed four. His involvement on a reboot is open to question, however, as he prepares “Monster Hunter,” again inspired by a video game from Japan’s Capcom, which is set to be brought to the market in late 2017 or early 2018.