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This episode of What Went Wrong explores the turbulent, multi-year development and unexpected box-office triumph of the 2002 film Resident Evil, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The hosts trace the franchise's origins back to the Japanese console horror game Sweet Home and George Romero's seminal zombie cinema, detailing how writers like Alan B. McElroy and Romero himself cycled through drafts before Anderson stepped in with a more budget-conscious, sci-fi-infused script. Despite getting panned by critics for its heavy borrowing from The Matrix and other genre films, the movie proved exceptionally profitable and launched a massively lucrative B-movie empire starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez.
Hosts introduce the episode and tease the discussion of the 2002 Resident Evil film.
The hosts dissect the film’s plot, focusing on the mysterious characters and plot twists.
Discussion of Capcom’s shift from arcade to console, the creation of Resident Evil, and the influence of earlier horror games.
The hosts compare Resident Evil to other adaptations like Super Mario Brothers and Mortal Combat.
The process of naming the game for Western audiences and the marketing strategies behind the title.
Release dates, sales figures, critical reception, and the film’s place in the broader horror and video‑game adaptation landscape.
Details about the film’s production challenges, budget constraints, and creative decisions.
Concluding remarks, reflections on the film’s impact, and a brief look ahead to future episodes.
The German studio’s past successes and failures set the stage for its attempt to revive Resident Evil in Hollywood.
Alan B. McElroy writes a faithful yet flawed script that leaks to the press, revealing a chaotic storyline.
George Romero is brought in to inject a classic zombie aesthetic, but his extreme style clashes with studio expectations.
Adapting Video Game Act Twoinsight
The hosts explain the fundamental difficulty of adapting video games, noting that act two in a game consists of defeating bosses or solving puzzles rather than narrative turns.
Hardware Limitations as Assetsinsight
Game designers discovered that primitive hardware and lower-fidelity graphics bypassed strict censorship boards, enabling creators to include extreme horror content freely.
First-Person to Third-Person Shiftstrategy
After playing the pioneering 3D survival horror game Alone in the Dark, designer Shinji Mikami realized Resident Evil needed fixed camera angles and a third-person perspective.
Surprise Million-Unit Milestonedata
Released in March 1996 in Japan and the US, Resident Evil dramatically outperformed modest expectations by instantly selling 200,000 copies and reaching one million in its first year.
Learning CGI and Coverage on Setstory
Paul Anderson bought books on CGI before directing Mortal Combat and later had to be reminded by a stunt coordinator what cinematic coverage meant during wide-shot filming.
A $20 Million Hit for Mortal Combatdata
Paul Anderson's Mortal Combat adaptation defied expectations by grossing $120 million against a $20 million budget and earning an A minus CinemaScore.
Leaked Script Details in Printstory
A writer at PlayStation Magazine obtained and published details from Alan B. McElroy's leaked second draft, which featured a SWAT team, cannibalistic scientists, and no Umbrella Corporation.
Rewriting the Script for Michelle Rodriguezdebate
Mila Jovovich threatened to drop the film after discovering rewrites shifted all the major action scenes to Michelle Rodriguez, prompting a page-by-page script review.
“He said that initially, he thought it should be ghosts, but then he realized there wouldn't be any real feeling of exhilaration if you were shooting at or attacking ghosts.”
“The point is, for the first six months of development, Mikami works on this game by himself.”
“The game spreads like a zombie plague.”
“People love it, including director Paul Anderson, who at this point is going by Paul Anderson.”
“He wrote it with Peter Grunwald. It's pretty darn fun. It's a pretty faithful adaptation. It's 96 pages.”
“Resident Evil opened number two on its opening weekend behind Ice Age. It didn't make Tomb Raider money. It didn't even make Mortal Kombat money. But it did make Street Fighter money.”
“Resident Evil is the most successful B‑movie franchise, C‑movie franchise I can think of.”
“She has such screen presence, and it's nice to see her play a role here.”
“I love the way she moves. And I love Mila. More Mila.”
“It was on the bed for you, but also, it's not the most impractical thing you could be wearing.”
This week, Chris & Lizzie try to figure out how Paul W. S. Anderson saved his career, his love life, and Constantin Film (maybe just in the United States) with a lovable clunker of a zombie movie. They trace the origins of the hit game Resident Evil is based on (and the game that game was born from, and the movie that game was based on), untangle a creative love triangle between Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, and their director, and work through the complicated, mostly fruitless attempts to find synergy between the movies and video games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
19,164 words · 5 speakers
Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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