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Netflix Reveals Cast of Live Action Resident Evil Series

PhaseJump

Banned
I don't know what to think about this. I'm not interested at all.

I gave up on modern TV writing some time ago, and it probably won't be any different here. After seeing strong-woman driven narratives for all kinds of action oriented series, with actresses that are tiny models, the fatigue starts to set in quickly.

I'm still trying to recover from Star Trek Discovery. Where one small woman can single handedly beat the shit out of giant Klingon zealots, rescue away teams from getting slaughtered by monsters, or how she always know more about solving problems, can argue about the radically new space travel tech with the specialist genius in the field who is on board to run that department due to it's experimental nature in the first place, mutiny her way into starting a war while still getting pardoned and command positions.

The stupidest, most poorly thought out shit imaginable gets funded with millions of dollars these days, and the writers brought into it are always clowns or rookies that aren't good enough to sell fan-fiction.
 

old-parts

Member
Lance Reddick I'm fine with playing Wesker but its the actual premise of the show that's brain dead, Wesker the family man in Raccoon City ???

It sounds like a terrible sitcom instead of something that should be a high tension TV show.
 
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Needlecrash

Member
I think Lance will do well in the series. And......only him.

This live action show is also non-canonical as well, thank goodness because the plot sounds like shit. Also, since when did Wesker become a fucking family man??? THE FUCK? I'm honestly skeptical of the show as adaptations like this end up being shit.
 
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Needlecrash

Member
How hard can it be to just create new characters when they want more black actors for mUh RePrESenTaTioN. And why is it always black actors, and not some of the other 10.000s shades of skin colour on the planet.
Agreed. It's not actually "representation" when it's really a code word for mainly African American actors. I say this as a black man, this shit is really getting old.
 

vpance

Member
How hard can it be to just create new characters when they want more black actors for mUh RePrESenTaTioN. And why is it always black actors, and not some of the other 10.000s shades of skin colour on the planet.

Because they have vocal groups like NAACP and BLM. Remember that one Oscars a few years back. They are very influential.
 

jakdex

Member
image.png


CHRIS REDFIELD!
MY OFFICE!
NOW!
 

Stuart360

Member
How hard can it be to just create new characters when they want more black actors for mUh RePrESenTaTioN. And why is it always black actors, and not some of the other 10.000s shades of skin colour on the planet.
Exactly, and its annoying you cant say this without the 'racism' card being shown.
Fact is -

Lance Reddick in a Resi Evil TV show - Fuck yeah, he's a great actor!.

Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker - Fuck no.
 

Aranea

Member
Good thing this show is non canon. Ever since the plot got leaked a couple of months ago the RE fanbase has largely reactive with negative reactions regarding the plot of this non canon show. Personally i might watch it but i know this will be really awful.
 

Kholinar

Banned
Can't wait to see a white actor play shag or Martin Luther King.
Oh, wait a minute, that's racist.

Gotta love white washing and racism as a white person. It's fully acceptable from society to treat us white men like shit because we are ALL guilty of slavery and why Africa ain't real life Wakanda.
Comparing a real person whose story hinges on his skin color versus a fictional character with no particular emphasis on skin color.

Nice false equivalence.
 

Kholinar

Banned
How hard can it be to just create new characters when they want more black actors for mUh RePrESenTaTioN. And why is it always black actors, and not some of the other 10.000s shades of skin colour on the planet.
Why are you assuming it's for woke points? It could easily be a case of Lance trouncing the other candidates during auditioning. Unless the character's story or premise hinges on being a specific skin tone - or just overall aligns to a specific culture that's predominantly married and associated to a specific skin tone - changing a character's complexion in a non-canonical adaptation is an extremely trivial matter.
 

Forsythia

Member
Why are you assuming it's for woke points? It could easily be a case of Lance trouncing the other candidates during auditioning. Unless the character's story or premise hinges on being a specific skin tone - or just overall aligns to a specific culture that's predominantly married and associated to a specific skin tone - changing a character's complexion in a non-canonical adaptation is an extremely trivial matter.
Of course it's for woke points, and you know it too. It's Netflix. And are you telling all the people who whine about whitewashed characters the same bullshit? You can't tell me the character's story or premise hinges on being a specific skin tone - or just overall aligns to a specific culture that's predominantly married and associated to a specific skin tone everytime whitewashing happens.
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
Can't wait to see a white actor play shag or Martin Luther King.
Oh, wait a minute, that's racist.

. . .because fictional characters are the same as well known historical figures. Some of you are really showing your cards with statements like this.

It is just one series, fucking relax. There's also a Resi anime and movie coming that will be different.

Also any of you complained about Edge of tomorrow changing japanese main character of the book to Tom Cruise? No? Thought so.

I'm sure it's only a coincidence that the outrage only goes in one direction.

Of course it's for woke points, and you know it too. It's Netflix. And are you telling all the people who whine about whitewashed characters the same bullshit? You can't tell me the character's story or premise hinges on being a specific skin tone - or just overall aligns to a specific culture that's predominantly married and associated to a specific skin tone everytime whitewashing happens.

Do you realize how insulting that is. That the ONLY way for an actor of color to land a role based on a character who was a different skin color is because of "wokeness." Give me a break.
 
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MiguelItUp

Member
Agreed. It's not actually "representation" when it's really a code word for mainly African American actors. I say this as a black man, this shit is really getting old.
That's been the exact same reaction I've seen from friends of mine, haha.

"Uh, thanks, I guess? But it would've been cool if Wesker still looked like Wesker from the games. Or, you know, there was a spin-off with completely different characters and the lead protagonist was black."

I agree the synopsis behind the show sounds like trash, lol. I like how it's "not canon", but you call it Resident Evil, and have familiar characters. Of course people are going to associate it. It's like painting something red, calling it not red, and then expecting people to not associate it with red, lol.

. . .because fictional characters are the same as well known historical figures. Some of you are really showing your cards with statements like this.



I'm sure it's only a coincidence that the outrage only goes in one direction.
Yeah, fictional characters and historical non-fictional figures are not comparable at all. But to say people are really "showing their cards" sounds like a bit much. I think it's people making poor comparisons it anything. I don't think it's fair to quickly make accusations.

What coincidence are you referring to? I'm curious. Because I think a lot of people here have made some valid points that don't point to prejudices or racism in any form. If that's what you're implying in this.
 

FunkMiller

Gold Member
Lance Reddick in a Resi Evil TV show - Fuck yeah, he's a great actor!.

Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker - Fuck no.

Bang on the money.

It’s racist to be angry when a black person is in a TV show.

It’s not racist to be disappointed that a show is altering the source material so heavily.

Lance Reddick is a great actor (though he always strikes me as a downgrade version of the amazing Andre Braugher) but I don’t want him playing daddy Albert Wesker to his charming daughters in Racoon City. That’s straying too far from the source, and that sucks.
 
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Azurro

Banned
Do you realize how insulting that is. That the ONLY way for an actor of color to land a role based on a character who was a different skin color is because of "wokeness." Give me a break.

Well, that's what all the woke people basically keep telling to people like me in their narrative, that the only reason why I manage to do anything is because I need to get it handed to me because I'm a victim since I'm not white.

You know that giving the role of Wesker to a guy that doesn't resemble Wesker at all is both a way of giving out roles to anyone not white while "punishing" white people. It is incredibly racist and arrogant all around.

Let's have Lance Reddick play an Umbrella CEO or the head of the lab. Go crazy, he's a great guy, but do a role that fits him, not the blonde Ubermensch guy with Sunglasses that cosplays as a Matrix reject full of cheesy lines that Wesker is.
 
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Fake wokeness 🤦‍♂️

but if it’s good then it doesn’t matter. And therein lies the other problem: this is probably going to suck just as most live action video game adaptions shows and movies.
Lol at it being good. The mental illness idealogy the show is predicated upon guarantess it will 100% be a fuck you to fans while pandering to people who dont even like zombies. Fuck woke, fuck the left, if that offends you, fuck you too.
 

Kholinar

Banned
Of course it's for woke points, and you know it too. It's Netflix. And are you telling all the people who whine about whitewashed characters the same bullshit? You can't tell me the character's story or premise hinges on being a specific skin tone - or just overall aligns to a specific culture that's predominantly married and associated to a specific skin tone everytime whitewashing happens.
You bring up a valid point, I will admit. A lot of people do complain about whitewashing and stuff, I will grant you that, but the issue of changing a character's ethnicity is rather - albeit needlessly - nuanced. Most black characters are conceived with attributes that are often associated with African-American cultures, so when black communities consume media with such characters, they have the tendency to 'claim' them and champion these characters as representations or idols of the black experience. So, for example, let's say you have a black character in a sitcom who's inclined to rapping and hip-hop, speaks with certain colloquialisms, goes to barber shops, etc. Although a character like this doesn't seem particularly welded to his ethnicity, as a white person could easily fit these same tropes without much hassle, a lot of black communities will claim a character such as this as their own and kind of idolize them as a representative of black people in media. So, when a company 'whitewashes' (although I don't necessarily agree with this term) a character like that, it's seen as an inconsiderate, malicious attack and an attempt to stifle representation of black people in media.

Movements like BLM - or basically any minority - are extremely protective of characters that adopt their ethnicities and label any attempt to change that as 'x-washing' due to a feeling that their race is being underrepresented and undervalued. They don't extend that same privilege to white people because the white experience, and white characters in general, are so universal and ubiquitous that it's seen as a non-issue.

Personally, I don't give a fuck whether a white or black character gets race-changed unless either skin tones are integral to the character at hand's premise (i.e I wouldn't stand for, say, Arthur Morgan getting blackwashed, nor would I stand for Franklin Clinton getting whitewashed, since either of their ethnicities is integral to their characters). This is why I don't have an issue with the casting.
 
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I think Lance will do well in the series. And......only him.

This live action show is also non-canonical as well, thank goodness because the plot sounds like shit. Also, since when did Wesker become a fucking family man??? THE FUCK? I'm honestly skeptical of the show as adaptations like this end up being shit.

Yeah, Lance is a fantastic actor, especially in stuff like The Wire (which is just great and worth a watch in general), although I'm actually a bit WTF on him playing Wesker. Like, Wesker to me is a blond-haired British wanker of evil, he's like a Bond villain in RE. If Jim Ryan were a bit younger I could actually see him playing Wesker in a RE series xD.

I'm only gonna watch for Lance; none of the other actors/actresses look familiar an they probably won't have very good roles to play in this. As much as the live-action movies get shat on, at least they are entertaining in a popcorn flick kind of way, did characters pretty accurate to the source material (at least looks-wise, particularly with Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Carlos) and went with its own timeline once they realized it was deviating way too damn much from the games anyway.

The CG movies, meanwhile, have generally been pretty fun an more accurate to the games, which is why I'm more excited for the CG series in July than this live-action one. I think it'll be between this live-action RE, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop and the Powerpuff Girls live-action as worst adaptations of the year, and the only reason I might put this live-action RE series as the best of that lot is solely because of Lance Riddick.

...but make no mistake, they're ALL gonna suck.
 

GymWolf

Member
Yeah, Lance is a fantastic actor, especially in stuff like The Wire (which is just great and worth a watch in general), although I'm actually a bit WTF on him playing Wesker. Like, Wesker to me is a blond-haired British wanker of evil, he's like a Bond villain in RE. If Jim Ryan were a bit younger I could actually see him playing Wesker in a RE series xD.

I'm only gonna watch for Lance; none of the other actors/actresses look familiar an they probably won't have very good roles to play in this. As much as the live-action movies get shat on, at least they are entertaining in a popcorn flick kind of way, did characters pretty accurate to the source material (at least looks-wise, particularly with Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Carlos) and went with its own timeline once they realized it was deviating way too damn much from the games anyway.

The CG movies, meanwhile, have generally been pretty fun an more accurate to the games, which is why I'm more excited for the CG series in July than this live-action one. I think it'll be between this live-action RE, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop and the Powerpuff Girls live-action as worst adaptations of the year, and the only reason I might put this live-action RE series as the best of that lot is solely because of Lance Riddick.

...but make no mistake, they're ALL gonna suck.
I reall can't see that, the real albert wesker always switch to the better version of his viruses in every game and never look back to the old ones just because he already infected hundreds of milions with them...
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
You know that giving the role of Wesker to a guy that doesn't resemble Wesker at all is both a way of giving out roles to anyone not white while "punishing" white people. It is incredibly racist and arrogant all around.

So now we're NOT giving roles to the person who is best for the job? I thought that was the whole pushback against diversity hires. Folks are literally wanting to have it both ways.

There is nothing, NOTHING, inherently iconic about Wesker that is tied to him being "white." Story about a white kid growing up in segregated Alabama. . .sure. A fanatical villain from a video game franchise. . .not so much.
 
You bring up a valid point, I will admit. A lot of people do complain about whitewashing and stuff, I will grant you that, but the issue of changing a character's ethnicity is rather - albeit needlessly - nuanced. Most black characters are conceived with attributes that are often associated with African-American cultures, so when black communities consume media with such characters, they have the tendency to 'claim' them and champion these characters as representations or idols of the black experience.

There's a problem here, though (and this can be extended to other ethnic groups, too); it's only for characters who are supposedly "ideal" representations. Anything that falls out of that idealized realm is seen as an attack. For example, a black character with personality flaws or morally dubious in nature, would get labeled as "problematic" this day and age, even if that is also a deeply nuanced and complex character of interesting development. I don't think a character like Gus Fringe, for example, would "work" in a television series made today (to be fair, I don't think Breaking Bad as a concept would fly anymore for a TV series in modern day, either).

I think it's also important to remember that usually the loudest voices for championing or criticizing supposed representations of minority groups online..aren't generally people in those minority groups in the first place. It's usually far-left, college-aged white liberals who insist on speaking on behalf of such groups. It's why they're shocked when, say, a lot of Mexicans tell them to shut up because they actually embrace Speedy Gonzalez, instead of forcibly looking at him as a negative stereotype the way some of these people on Twitter assume they should.

I saw similar pushback from some black people online with the Aunt Jemima/Uncle Ben controversies; most sensible people are aware of some of the more "questionable" history behind these things, but are also aware that in modern times their usage and connotations have drastically changed. Removing them from the public is basically removal of black representation, and I personally think there are more...."seedy" motivations for these companies doing it, hiding behind virtue signals to look good to the public when they do so. That's a topic for a later day, though.

Movements like BLM - or basically any minority - are extremely protective of characters that adopt their ethnicities and label any attempt to change that as 'x-washing' due to a feeling that their race is being underrepresented and undervalued. They don't extend that same privilege to white people because the white experience, and white characters in general, are so universal and ubiquitous that it's seen as a non-issue.

Well if movements like BLM are the barometer, then a lot of that supposed protection for representation is surface-level, considering what they tend to do with most of their donation money :S. It's also ironic that groups like BLM only do this sort of stuff for characters and people who reinforce some of the more "negative" and limiting stereotypes.

Keep in mind these same groups have literally tried claiming math and being good with money as concepts of "white privilege" an racist at their core. That should be seen as incredibly insulting not just to black people, but everyone regardless their color.

Personally, I don't give a fuck whether a white or black character gets race-changed unless either skin tones are integral to the character at hand's premise (i.e I wouldn't stand for, say, Arthur Morgan getting blackwashed, nor would I stand for Franklin Clinton getting whitewashed, since either of their ethnicities is integral to their characters). This is why I don't have an issue with the casting.

Well, you're free to have that opinion. However, I actually do take issue with even these kind of changes, at least on some level, because characters like Wesker do have an established visual identity which does in fact also factor their ethnicity, skin color etc., all of which build into their aesthetic.

So while him being white & British isn't integral to his character development, it's still integral to his character aesthetic in terms of his visual look and certain cultural mannerisms that come through in his speech. We won't be getting that in this live-action RE series now, despite Lance being a fantastic actor in general. Yes, we may get a different type of visual aesthetic that Lance can bring, but it's not one that lines up with the Wesker we as fans have come to know since 1996.

And all the same, I stand true with this when I see some reactionaries try saying "well then just make Blade white!", for example. Yes, Blade's ethnicity and skin color aren't important to his character development whatsoever, but they ARE a part of his established visual identity/aesthetic. Swapping that out means you no longer really have Blade anymore, does it? So hold that same energy across the board, I say.
 

betrayal

Banned
Actually, it doesn't matter if you change the skin color or gender of some core characters.

The problem is not the "what" but the "why". And you also know, unfortunately, that the creators don't give a shit about the series and its underlying history. They don't give a shit about the fans or authenticity.
It's just about the money and these decisions are not made because they make something better or more authentic, but because they think they can make more money.

Of course, they will not be successful in doing so. But the people who make these decisions are so ideologically blinded that they have long since abandoned objective discourse.
 
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ANDS

King of Gaslighting
Wow, what a way to twist my words. Amazing.

Your statement is literally that the only reason LR was cast in this was because he checked a demographic box. Not because he was a good actor, not because he nailed the interview or not because the show-runners had a great idea and wanted him for the part. No it is because he is black.

It's not about the skin. Just the actor is completely different in the aspect of the Wesker in the gamers imaginary. Would you like to see Danny De Vito play as Geralt in The Witcher series?

If the only way to make your argument is to go to the extremes, you probably don't have a good one.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
It's not about the skin. Just the actor is completely different in the aspect of the Wesker in the gamers imaginary. Would you like to see Danny De Vito play as Geralt in The Witcher series?

Lol. Danny De Vito playing Geralt is completely different and you know it.
 

manfestival

Member
Ah so this is another one of those so called Vanity projects that everyone seems to be crazy in going after. Yeah no thanks
 

Hezekiah

Banned

Revealed as part of Netflix's Geeked Week, the cast of Resident Evil was unveiled and will notably see Lance Reddick playing the character of Albert Wesker. Reddick will be joined by Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, and Paola Nunez as the show's primary cast. Outside of Reddick having been confirmed to play Wesker, however, Netflix hasn't said who the other actors in the show will be portraying.



Based on the reports that we have heard about this Resident Evil TV series, the show is going to center around Wesker and his children, which are characters that never appeared in the video game iteration of the franchise. As such, this is likely why Netflix continues to stress that this is a "new" version of Raccoon City that is being established.

As for when Resident Evil will be hitting Netflix, well, that's something else we aren't sure about right now. As previously stated, production is said to be ongoing at this point in time which means that it can't be too far away. A debut in either late 2021 or early 2022 seems likely, but again, Netflix has committed to no launch windows of this sort in an official capacity.

I didn't even know this was a thing, and to he honest it's a great idea in theory.

But I was about to say I hope they don't go down the Walking Dead route and make it a boring, drawn-out drama. And they haven't - they've gone down the modern, woke, we-think-this-is-what-the-PC-crowd want to see route.
 

Hezekiah

Banned
Its dumb but this is the silly show, Netflix already getting a canon CG show, and new gritty movie reboot releasing on november.

This new Raccoon City thing looks like Resident Evil for teenage girls, wich could be a fun watch if you don't take it seriously
Sorry, what other shows are you referring to?
 

kyussman

Member
Netflix are WOKE AS FUCK....honestly if it wasn't for my daughter using it I would just cancel my sub and resub just to watch the next series of The Last Kingdom when it drops.
 

Kholinar

Banned
There's a problem here, though (and this can be extended to other ethnic groups, too); it's only for characters who are supposedly "ideal" representations. Anything that falls out of that idealized realm is seen as an attack. For example, a black character with personality flaws or morally dubious in nature, would get labeled as "problematic" this day and age, even if that is also a deeply nuanced and complex character of interesting development.
What are some real-world examples of this? I don't think this is necessarily true in a vacuum.
I think it's also important to remember that usually the loudest voices for championing or criticizing supposed representations of minority groups online..aren't generally people in those minority groups in the first place. It's usually far-left, college-aged white liberals who insist on speaking on behalf of such groups. It's why they're shocked when, say, a lot of Mexicans tell them to shut up because they actually embrace Speedy Gonzalez, instead of forcibly looking at him as a negative stereotype the way some of these people on Twitter assume they should.
This is kinda true, but ultimately irrelevant to my point.
Well if movements like BLM are the barometer, then a lot of that supposed protection for representation is surface-level, considering what they tend to do with most of their donation money :S.
Well, uhh... okay?
It's also ironic that groups like BLM only do this sort of stuff for characters and people who reinforce some of the more "negative" and limiting stereotypes.
Such as? And stereotypes aren't inherently problematic - they're only a problem when they assume the entirety of a character's identity or are inserted where they wouldn't make much sense to the character's premise. The primary reason why black communities celebrate these 'stereotypical' characters is that they're often rooted and predicated on African-American culture, so it's easy to relate to that stereotypical black city character who plays basketball. They also celebrate characters that outstrip general culture as well, like Blade or Mace Windu.
Keep in mind these same groups have literally tried claiming math and being good with money as concepts of "white privilege" an racist at their core. That should be seen as incredibly insulting not just to black people, but everyone regardless their color.
I mean, I can see how being good at math and money has been historically a white privilege - there are still people alive from when school segregation between black and white people was a thing in America before the judicial reform - but it obviously isn't that much of an issue now. I'm pretty sure they were referring to the historical precedent.
Well, you're free to have that opinion. However, I actually do take issue with even these kind of changes, at least on some level, because characters like Wesker do have an established visual identity which does in fact also factor their ethnicity, skin color etc., all of which build into their aesthetic.

So while him being white & British isn't integral to his character development, it's still integral to his character aesthetic in terms of his visual look and certain cultural mannerisms that come through in his speech. We won't be getting that in this live-action RE series now, despite Lance being a fantastic actor in general. Yes, we may get a different type of visual aesthetic that Lance can bring, but it's not one that lines up with the Wesker we as fans have come to know since 1996.
Valid opinion. No issue with what you've said here at all.
 

e&e

Banned
This thread is on both forums! I’m shocked that this is allowed with the same tiresome knee jerk and transparent reactions! There is even a post comparing this game show with MLK and how white men are hated holy shit lmao! And don’t worry, most of you apparently aren’t subbed so who gives a shit lol!

EDIT: Holy crap there is also BLM talk haha!
 
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