RESIDENT EVIL: DEATH ISLAND Trailer Brings Zombies To Alcatraz

The CGI animated feature arrives direct-to-video this summer.

By Ryan Scott · @RyanScottWrites · June 5, 2023, 7:51 PM EDT
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Image courtesy of Sony Pictures

Resident Evil fans who are bummed that we don’t have a sequel to Welcome to Racoon City (at least not yet) or that the Netflix show was canceled after just one season, at least have something new to look forward to. That something takes the form of a new CGI animated feature titled Resident Evil: Death Island, which arrives next month as a direct-to-video release. On the surface, that may sound a little uninspiring, but this one does have a pretty fun hook: zombies on Alcatraz! Check it out.

A brief teaser for the film had previously made its way online, but this is a complete trailer offering a better idea of what we’re getting into. From zombie sharks to rocket launchers and a new strain of the T-virus, there is a lot going on here. Admittedly, this looks way more action-heavy than scary, but it’s got a lot of hallmarks from the franchise peppered in. Also, to put it nicely, this animated take does look very home-video-worthy. As for the specifics of the story? The official synopsis reads as follows:

“In San Francisco, Jill Valentine is dealing with a zombie outbreak and a new T-Virus, Leon Kennedy is on the trail of a kidnapped DARPA scientist, and Claire Redfield is investigating a monstrous fish that is killing whales in the bay. Joined by Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers, they discover the trail of clues from their separate cases all converge on the same location, Alcatraz Island, where a new evil has taken residence and awaits their arrival.”

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Eiichiro Hasumi, who also helmed Netflix’s Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, is in the director’s chair for this one. The cast includes Matthew Mercer, Stephanie Panisello, Kevin Dorman, Nicole Tompkins and Erin Cahill. Also worth pointing out is that the movie is R-rated, so it won’t be pulling any punches. The film serves as a sequel to 2017’s Resident Evil: Vendetta, which was not particularly well received at the time.

Meanwhile, it seems like there may be more brewing with the Resident Evil franchise at the moment. We recently got word that a new movie of some kind is getting ready to film in Canada. Few details are available, but even though Welcome to Raccoon City wasn’t the hit Sony and Capcom hoped it would be, they’re not content to let the series rest. One imagines a new game is also in the cards, but that’s purely speculative at this point.

Resident Evil: Death Island arrives on Blu-ray and Digital on July 25.