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 the 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 subsequent 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 Paul W.S. Anderson movies kept familiar elements like characters and locations, but told a new story through the new protagonist Alice. Welcome to Raccoon City too kept those familiar elements and story beats from the games, while also courageously trying to streamline the stories of the second and third games into one narrative.
The Paul W.S. Anderson franchise after Resident Evil: Apocalypse, the live-action tv show and the animated movies moved further away from the games' elements and story. The movie franchise became a globe-trotting adventure build on it's own in-universe lore seperate from the games, while the show became it's own thing by using nothing from the games aside from a few recognizable names. Lastly, the animated movies and tv show added new elements like viruses and groups to the existing universe by setting it within the games' universe. This allowed them to maintain canon with and expand on the games' overarching narrative.
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 to set the new movie in the games' universe, similar to the animated movies.
The games' universe is already extensive, and if adapted directly it features enough material for multiple-season tv shows, rather than one movie. Instead, it could focus on a smaller scale story, possibly even leaving out Chris, Jill, Rebecca, Leon or Claire. Their stories have been told multiple times already, with the games as their definitive versions. If they want to revisit Raccoon City though, it can do so through a new perspective like HUNK, a mysterious Umbrella agent tasked with retrieving virus samples. This way, it brings a new story, but keeps familiar elements from Resident Evil Zero, 1, 2 and 3.