Well, it only took a few months from the release of “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” before plans were announced that the IP would be rebooted, with James Wan (“Aquaman,” “The Conjuring“) slated to produce, and Greg Russo writing the script. The news stung for the devoted fanbase of the Milla Jovovich led franchise, and the actress herself is certainly dismayed that the body isn’t yet cold on her series, and there is talk of creating something new.
“….good luck with that. I think a lot of people with these franchises kind of put the cart before the horse. There’s a danger to that. They’ve been wanting to reboot ‘Resident Evil’ for a long time, and listen: I love the ‘Resident Evil’ world. I think it’s a great property, I would do it if I was a producer. I think what made ‘Resident Evil’ so special is that the people involved really loved what they’re doing and really were fans of the game,” she told Comic Book.
“I would suggest that you find people that have that same passion for the property before you talk about reboots. I think if you get into this kind of genre, people are very sensitive to fakes. There’s some real fans in the sci-fi/action/horror world, and they’re not idiots. They can smell when something is done because people love it and when something is done just to monetize an opportunity, ” Jovovich added.
Certainly, those are all excellent points, and there’s no doubt that the accelerated pace of starting anew with “Resident Evil” is raising some eyebrows. Time will tell if the franchise can be taken in new directions, or if another actress can step into the shoes of Jovovich, whose Alice is one of the iconic characters of her career. Thoughts? Let us know in the comment section.
The only thing they’re rebooting is the Milla Jovovich. This is not a knock against Jovovich, who if I had my way would have been cast as Black Widow, but I’m sure the studios just want a younger actress. I’m sure someone is thinking the same thing about Underworld/Kate Beckinsale.
Weird situation reversal, where game franchises get rebooted without the original voice actor(s) being asked to return to the characters they made recognizable. Now it seems like the studio is confident that the millions will roll in whether Leeloo Dallas is in the lead or not.
A bright side for Jovovich would be that she might finally be able to find the time to re-launch the clothing line she once not-so-subtly advertised in the third film.