A new Resident Evil movie is confirmed to be in the works, marking the fourteenth film in the franchise. Of the previous thirteen films six focused on Milla Jovovich’s Alice in a universe separate from the games, one titled Welcome to Raccoon City created its own standalone continuity, and four are animated films set within the timeline of the Resident Evil games. The fourteenth movie that is joining this slate, is being written and directed by Barbarian director Zach Gregger. It is unclear what universe it is going to be a part of, or this might even start a new continuity.
Aside from the movies, the franchise also expanded into tv. Infinite Darkness aligns with the animated films and follows the games' continuity, while Netflix’s Resident Evil series loosely adapted the source material, using only character names while crafting an entirely new narrative. In terms of games, Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4 have had the remake treatment, inscribing the stories of it's famous protagonists -Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, Rebecca Chambers, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield- in recent memory. A Zero remake is also reportedly being in the works.
Who the main players are
The aformentioned Chris, Jill, Rebecca, Leon and Claire are the franchise's most notable characters. They are introduced in the first four games, during which Rebecca, Chris and Jill uncover Umbrella's experiments in a mansion. A few months later, a subsequent outbreak in Raccoon City spreads, infecting most residents. During the outbreak, Leon meets Claire, who is looking for her missing brother Chris. Before a missile strikes Raccoon City to kill the infected, Leon, Claire and Jill escape the city. Shortly after, Claire finally finds her brother in Code: Veronica.
Following the first five games, each of the characters go their own paths. Chris, Jill and Rebecca join the BSAA, Leon becomes a government agent, and Claire joins TerraSave. They each pursue Bio-Organic Weapons (BOWs) all across the globe in a race against sinister forces, often formed by ex-Umbrella forces. They occassionaly cross paths, as seen in Resident 5 and Resident Evil 6, and multiple animated movies. As such, the timeline can be split into three eras: The Raccoon City outbreak of 1998, the global hunt for BOWs, and the Ethan Winters story started in Resident Evil 7.
The adaptations so far
So, the franchise has produced seven live-action movies, four animated movies, two tv shows and four remakes. Of these, three live-action movies and three remakes have revisited the events originally seen in the games from and set in the late 1990s. The movies have tried to stick to the familiar story, but also added new elements. The Paul W.S. Anderson movies did this by adding a new protagonist, whereas Welcome to Raccoon City tried to streamline the games' events. Although it cut a lot from the games, both familiar characters and locations made it into the live-action adaptations.
Some adaptations also moved further away from the games. Both the Paul W.S. Anderson franchise after Resident Evil: Apocalypse and the live-action tv show only kept the characters and moved into new territory. The former became a globe-trotting adventure, similar to the later games and animated movies, but told an original story. The tv show however, only kept a few character names. Meanwhile, the animated movies and tv show went in the opposite direction. It used the characters from the games, and put them in new settings, allowing them to maintain canon with the games.
What could be next
With four established continuities, the upcoming movie by Zach Gregger could either start a fifth or join an existing one. While rumors have suggested a Welcome to Raccoon City follow-up, it’s unclear if this is what Gregger is working on. The new movie could also join the Alice movies, but without it's lead it might feel redundant. The tv show seemingly had it's own contuinity, allowing room for exploration. Considering it's reception however, it seems unlikely this universe will be revisited. The last option would be set the new movie in the games' universe, similar to the animated movies.
The games' universe is already extenstive, and if adapted directly features enough material for full tv shows, rather than one movie. So, instead of focusing on Chris, Jill, Rebecca, Leon or Claire, as their story have been told over and over again, it could focus on a smaller scale story. And if they want to revisit Raccoon City, it can always do so from the perspective of HUNK, a mysterious Umbrella agent tasked with retrieving virus samples. This way, the events of Resident Evil Zero, 1, 2 and 3 can be retold, while allowing the definitive version of the games' protagonists to exist.