Ant-Man and the Wasp’s Hannah John-Kamen has been officially offered the role of Jill Valentine in the upcoming Resident Evil reboot for Screen Gems.
When the first Resident Evil games hit Playstation consoles in the late 90’s, the horror genre in video games simply didn’t exist. The slow burning game was built around the investigation of a zombie infection and outbreak in the fictional town of Raccoon City and the unraveling conspiracy behind it all. It was first adapted by Paul W.S. Anderson beginning with 2002’s Resident Evil, which spawned five sequels and a place near the top of B-movie glory. The franchise went on to gross over $1.2 billion dollars at the global box-office, so you can see why the property is being revamped.
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The Resident Evil franchise has multiple projects in development, and The Illuminerdi has some information about the upcoming feature film that should put smiles on the faces of Umbrella Corporation lovers – and haters – worldwide.
Scooper Daniel Richtman previously reported on Kaya Scodelario being offered the role of Claire Redfield, which is 100% accurate. However, at the present time, the negotiation has not been finalized. We weren’t able to confirm the subsequent report of Brenton Thwaites being up for Chris Redfield, which could simply mean that he passed on the part or had scheduling conflicts, since the role was still open for casting at last check.
Resident Evil’s New Jill Valentine?
The upcoming Resident Evil reboot is reported to be leaning closer to its videogame roots, and all signs indicate that those whispers are indeed true. Fan-favorite character Jill Valentine will be adapted for the film, and an official offer has been made to Killjoys’ Hannah John-Kamen.
In the new Resident Evil reboot, Valentine is described as a small town girl that enjoys hunting with the guys. She is gorgeous yet tough, and she knows how to have a good time. If John-Kamen doesn’t lock in the role, they are keeping the casting open to all ethnicities, but they are focusing on casting an African-American with mixed heritage for the role. With all those factors in place for their casting search, it’s easy to see how John-Kamen got the contract opportunity.
John-Kamen’s profile was massively amplified when she was cast as the unlikely Marvel villain Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp. She has a resume full of science fiction and genre works, so she is a great fit for the material.
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It was also noted that the role of Jill Valentine will become a major focal point of the franchise in future installments and they need their talent to be ready for that type of commitment.
Additional Resident Evil Details
As previously reported, Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Albert Wesker are all majors characters from the video game to be adapted into lead roles in the film. Wesker is 28 years old and described as intense and good looking, but not necessarily in a virtuous way. We can additionally confirm that Chief Irons, a minor antagonist from the game, will appear as well. Irons, who many may remember had a tragic end in the game series, is 60 years old and unhealthy. He’s described as the type who is crossing days off of his calendar towards his retirement.
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The new, untitled Resident Evil film is being directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down), who is co-writing alongside Greg Russo (the writer behind the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot). Resident Evil is being produced by Margo Klewans and Robert Kulzer for Screen Gems. The $30-40 million dollar budgeted film was initially intended to start shooting this June, but clearly the production is postponed for the duration of the pandemic protocol.
What do you think of Hannah John-Kamen for the role of Jill Valentine? Do you think the Resident Evil series needed a reboot in the first place? Let us know in the comment section and on social media. We have even more news coming at The Illuminerdi, so keep checking back for the latest.
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