The Netflix series adaptation of the classic survival horror game franchise Resident Evil has been canceled after one season. The eight-episode run took the mythology of the game series and some original characters and created a story centered around the daughters of Albert Wesker as they become embroiled in the shady underside of Umbrella.
Originally reported by Deadline, The live-action show debuted on the streaming service on July 14th this year and received less than favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike. Now, following a solid initial performance, but a huge drop-off in views after its third week and poor ratings, the streaming giant has decided the live-action Resident Evil show won't return.
The series was based on the Capcom video game series, which has seen a resurgence in popularity in the last few years after a return to form with the release of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil: Village. Netflix initially green-lit the show in 2020 and upon its release, the show received very mixed reviews with a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 27% audience approval rating. Reportedly, Resident Evil premiered at number 2 with 72.7 million hours viewed, but the 73.3 million hours viewed and number 3 finish in week 2 was not the ratings bump Netflix wanted. After only 3 weeks, Resident Evil dropped out of Netflix's top 10 entirely.
Starring Ella Balinska as Jade Wesker, Siena Agudong as Billie Wesker, and Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, the show takes place in the present when the girls are teenagers and in 2036 after an unknown incident has released the T-virus into the world causing a massive zombie outbreak. The story follows the younger Wesker girls as they begin to realize that Umbrella is not the harmless pharmaceutical company it appears, while in 2036 Jade struggles to survive and evade Umbrella and her sister.
According to the initial report, Netflix is planning to continue working with the diverse cast that was assembled for the show. Cast member Paola Núñez also appears in Netflix's upcoming series Fall of the House of Usher and Fuga De Reinas, a Netflix film from Latin America.
The series marked the second Resident Evil-related project for Netflix after the animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which brought in voice actors Nick Apostolides and Stephanie Panisello from the video game series. The live-action series was produced by Andrew Dabb, who also co-wrote it with Mary Leah Sutton. Robert Kulzer and Oliver Berben of Constantin Film also served as executive producers. Constantin Film CEO Martin Moszkowicz produced, and Constantin Film was the producing studio.
Resident Evil is now available on Netflix.
Source: Deadline