The “Master of Unlocking” is heading to the big screen, as Hannah John-Kamen has reportedly been offered the part of Jill Valentine in Screen Gems’ upcoming Resident Evil Reboot movie. Known for playing Ava Star in the MCU movie Ant-Man and the Wasp and F’Nale Zandor in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, John-Kamen has also had memorable roles in the television shows Game of Thrones, Killjoys, and the Netflix Original The Strangers.
Now, The Illuminerdi reports that Hannah John-Kamen is up for the part of Jill in the next Resident Evil movie, though she has yet to officially accept the role.
Rebooting the story from scratch with no relation to Paul W. S. Anderson’s Resident Evil movies, the new iteration is said to be more faithful to the original video games. This includes using fan favorite characters much more prominently, such as making Jill Valentine a central character. This iteration of the character 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 accept, producers are said to be keen on finding an “African American with mixed heritage” to play the iconic part.
According to the rumor mill, other major characters set to appear in the new Resident Evil movie have also been revealed. Movie scooper Daniel Richtman claims The Maze Runner star Kaya Scodelario is up for the part of Claire Redfield, and other rumors suggest Brenton Thwaites (Titans) has been offered to play her older brother, Chris. Fan favorite character Leon S. Kennedy, who serves as a protagonist in the second and fourth video games, is also said to be appearing in the movie, with Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats) reportedly in contention. Franchise villain Albert Wesker is also reportedly set to be featured in the story, but no casting information about who will play him. Whoever it is, just make sure they’re wearing a pair of sunglasses.
This reboot movie is not to be confused with the planned Resident Evil series in the works at Netflix. In 2019, it was reported that a small screen adaptation of the video game franchise was happening as well, though details on this project are similarly scarce. Rumor is that the TV series will expand upon the mythology of the video game series rather than serve as a complete reboot like we’ve seen on the big screen. The project was set to begin filming this summer with plans to potentially debut the first season in 2021, but movie and television production delays could mean the TV series may be coming much later than we initially thought. No casting information has yet been revealed for the show.
Originally, James Wan was set to produce Resident Evil before departing the project to focus on Mortal Kombat. Later, 47 Meters Down helmer Johannes Roberts signed on to write and direct the screenplay, but major updates have been scarce in the time since. These reports of the reboot’s casting process suggests that the project is finally moving ahead, but there’s still no word on when we can expect production to begin, especially given the current state of movie productions in Hollywood. This news comes to us from The Illuminerdi.
