Deep thought of the day: They say if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. But if an undead creature rides motorbikes and shoots guns, is it still a zombie? If you're Paul W.S. Anderson pulling together Resident Evil 5, the latest in your megahit zombie franchise, the answer seems to be yes.
Speaking with Collider, Anderson confirmed that he'll tap into the Las Plagas virus storyline for Resident Evil: Retribution, which begins filming this month in Toronto and will also shoot in Tokyo and Moscow. "We're bringing in the Las Plagas parasite," he said, "which I love because it allows the undead to basically run around, ride motorbikes, and shoot machine guns, which no one's done before."
Yeah, you know why no one's done that before? BECAUSE ZOMBIES DON'T RIDE MOTORBIKES AND SHOOT MACHINE GUNS.
To be fair, the Las Plagas virus, which takes over the bodies of living things, is really a parasitic organism that gives its victims heightened strength and coordination, not to mention a collective hive brain-type control mechanism. And it comes straight from the video games, which means Anderson's only being faithful to the Capcom canon.
It's fitting that as the Resident Evil franchise evolves from horror to action property (anchored by Milla Jovovich) that so, too does the definition of zombie undergo its own transformation. These aren't really zombies anymore -- and they sure aren't the ambling, mindless walking dead of classic horror lore. Can we still technically call this a zombie franchise?
Fans, meanwhile, should be pleased at the lengths to which Anderson is going to satisfy them; he's introducing three familiar characters from the game series into the new sequel: Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, and Barry Burton. So far only Johann Urb has been cast as Kennedy, joining returning series veterans Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Boris Kodjoe, Colin Salmon, and Michelle Rodriguez.
• Director Paul W.S. Anderson Talks RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION [Collider]