Resident Evil: Afterlife

Resident Evil: Afterlife is a 2010 Sci-fi action-horror film. It is the fourth installment in the Resident Evil film adaptations loosely based on the Capcom Survival Horror video game series Resident Evil. It also starts a new Resident Evil film trilogy. The film was written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It is the first film in the series to be released in 3-D. It will star Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Sienna Guillory, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe, Kim Coates, Kacey Barnfield, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Norman Yeung. After many delays, it was scheduled to release on September 10, 2010.

Details
Resident Evil: Afterlife stars Milla Jovovich, the main star of the Resident Evil film trilogy, as Alice. Ali Larter returns to reprise her role of Claire Redfield. Wentworth Miller stars as Chris Redfield, Claire's older brother and protagonist in the video game franchise. Albert Wesker, the games' primary antagonist, is portrayed by Shawn Roberts. Sienna Guillory briefly reprises her role as Jill Valentine in a post-credits scene.

The film was released on September 10th, 2010, in theatres and IMAX. It is the first film in the series to be in 3D. Enemies from Resident Evil 5 appear in the film, including Plaga Zombies, dogs, and the Executioner Majini.

Development
In May 2005, producers mentioned the possibility of following Extinction with a sequel titled Resident Evil: Afterlife, to be shot and set in Tokyo, Japan and Alaska. Despite Resident Evil: Extinction being billed on the official website and elsewhere as the final installment of the Resident Evil film series; on September 23, 2007, Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution explained, "It absolutely would not surprise me considering the success of the franchise that they find a way to come up with another. It's a real possibility". Producer Jeremy Bolt also stated that while there was no intention of making a fourth film, that the third had been particularly well done and that Paul Anderson was talking with Sony about the possibility.

In October 2007, reports indicated that casting for the fourth film begun, with Jensen Ackles being considered for the role of Leon S. Kennedy. Despite bringing Leon as a character in an upcoming film would contradict promotional information from Resident Evil: Apocalypse as Screen Gems created a faux newspaper, The Raccoon City Times, that detailed the background of Jill Valentine, and included that she was dismissed from the S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Squad) after the death of her partner, Leon Kennedy. Ali Larter confirmed she would reprise her role "100% if asked".

Nearly a year later, Anderson noted that negotiations were underway with Sony for creating the film. During an interview with IGN in December 2008, Anderson stated that he was working on the script. The following year, it was announced that Sony was aiming to release Resident Evil: Afterlife by August 27, 2010. In a subsequent interview, Anderson stated he would now be directing the film as well, and that 'Afterlife' would be a 3-D film that will start a new Resident Evil film trilogy. He also stated the film had the largest budget in the series thus far and confirmed that Milla Jovovich would be returning to portray Alice. It will also feature new characters taken from the video games.

Casting
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, Milla Jovovich confirmed that she would return for the lead role of Alice, and noted that the clones from Extinction would also be returning. On September 22, 2009 it was announced that Ali Larter would indeed reprise her role as Claire Redfield, and on September 30, 2009, it was announced that Shawn Roberts would join the cast as Albert Wesker, with Wentworth Miller joining as Chris Redfield, and Spencer Locke returning as K-Mart. Kim Coates and Boris Kodjoe have also been cast. Kacey Barnfield, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Norman Yeung will also make an appearance in the film. At a recent press conference in Japan, it was revealed Sienna Guillory will reprise her role as Jill Valentine.

Filming
Principle photography officially began on September 29. 2009 in Toronto, Canada.

Potential sequel
In an IGN article posted on September 8, 2009, it was said that "According to Bloody Disgusting, the plan is for part five to be a "quasi-reboot" tentatively titled Resident Evil Begins. The site theorizes that series star Milla Jovovich is probably getting too expensive for the franchise, and of course Hollywood is all about reboots these days anyway.

"While it's a long, long, long way off, the idea is to redo the story of a special military unit who fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident," says the site." This leaves to predict that the fifth Resident Evil film, may as well be a reboot.

At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, Anderson and Jeremy Bolt told ShockTilYouDrop.com that a fifth Resident Evil film would be possible, saying, "We always take it one movie at a time. We put so much effort into them and it is a family affair. It is all about making the best possible movie now and then promoting well and getting it out there. Making sure it is seen in the right way. When the dust settles then you think about something else. For us, it is not a business, it is a passion. You don't want to start talking about the next baby until you make sure this one is okay."

Anderson later told IGN that if the film is a success, he'll do the fifth film and would like Leon Kennedy to make an appearance.

Jovovich told New York Magazine that a fifth film is in the works. She explained, "We’ve been talking to a lot of fans on Twitter and stuff, so it’s probably going to be one of the first movies where we really talk to fans to see what they want, and what characters they want to see. It's going to be a more interactive process".

Release date delays
In August 2009, it was announced that the film would be released on August 27, 2010. Though, in December, it was set back to January 14, 2011. In January 2010 it was announced that the release date was moved again, this time to September 10, 2010.

Marketing
The first 3-D trailer was shown to a limited number of WonderCon 2010 attendees at Metreon in San Francisco, on April 2, followed by a non-3D version on April 3. The first teaser trailer was released on April 3, 2010 by MySpace in the Film Trailer Park. Paul W.S. Anderson narrated and presented his teaser trailer on April 4 at San Francisco WonderCon 2010. Theaters ran the teaser trailer as part of the premiere release of A Nightmare on Elm Street, on April 30, 2010. The film will also run in IMAX theaters. An updated trailer was shown with Jonah Hex, which opened in theaters on June 18, 2010.

Trivia

 * The name of this movie "Afterlife" is the same working title that was planned to be used in the previous movie before it became "Extinction".
 * This is the first live-action movie based on a video game to be in 3-D.
 * Features plot elements from Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil 5. An example of this involves the battle against Wesker, in which his movements and that of Chris along Claire, are similar to those of the fight Wesker has against Chris and Sheva near the end of Resident Evil 5.
 * Chris Redfield makes his first appearance in movie franchise.
 * Jill Valentine returns for a brief cameo in a scene that plays during the end credits, where it is revealed that she has become an antagonist, due to a mind control device worn on her chest, similar to what happens to her in the fifth game.
 * Claire Redfield wears a device on her chest similar to what Jill wore in Resident Evil 5. It is removed by Alice.
 * Albert Wesker wears two outfits in the film: His Umbrella Chronicles Tuxedo (which is also used in Resident Evil 4) and his Resident Evil 5 Midnight Outfit.
 * This is the first Resident Evil film Paul W.S. Anderson has both written and directed since Resident Evil.
 * In the game Resident Evil 5, the large man holding a large axe is called The Executioner, but in the movie, he's referred as The Axeman.
 * Due to its purpose in the story as the base of Wesker, the Arcadia is most likely a reference to the Tricell tanker from Resident Evil 5.
 * The first Resident Evil film to be released in IMAX.
 * In the game series, Chris Redfield is a hero involved with STARS Alpha Team, and then joins the BSAA Alpha Team. In the movie, Chris is imprisoned by survivors under suspicion that he's a killer.
 * The tentacles that spew out of Wesker's mouth are similar to symptoms of the Uroboros Virus from Resident Evil 5.
 * Claire Redfield wears a red vest, her primary outfit from her game appearances.
 * It's learned that Alice has a personal hobby: quarter collecting. She collects quarters and loads them in her shotguns in case if she runs out of shotgun shells.
 * There are thousands of survivors being held in capsules for experiments, just like in a large elevator chamber where the wall is of capsules of people being used for experiments in Resident Evil 5.
 * Alice and her comrades escape the building through the sewers, just like how Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin did in Resident Evil 2 out of the Raccoon City Police Department.
 * So far all the Resident Evil sequel movies have used recycled footage from previous Resident Evil movies.
 * In past Resident Evil movies Alice has yellow-blond hair with some of her natural brown color, but in this movie, Alice has no yellow-blond hair but entirely brown.
 * This is the first Resident Evil movie where Alice flies an aircraft.