Resident Evil scares up CG film

Game publisher Capcom and movie maker Sony Pictures Entertainment have teamed up to produce three live-action films based on the Resident Evil games, each more successful than the last at the US box office. The pair today announced that they are teaming up once again, this time on a full-length, computer-animated Resident Evil feature.

The film will be titled Biohazard: Degeneration (Biohazard is the Japanese name of the Resident Evil series), and will introduce a new storyline within the series' universe. Beyond that, the only detail available about the feature is that it will be released next year.

The companies didn't specify if that release will be theatrical or straight-to-DVD, although game-based CG films have taken both routes in the past. In 2001, Square Enix released Final Fantasy: Spirits Within in US theaters, and then announced its retreat from the movie business after it failed to live up to expectations. Last year it returned to the world of game-based CG films with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which was released straight-to-DVD, but received a much warmer reception than its theatrical cousin.

Capcom has a number of film projects currently in the works. The company is collaborating with Hyde Park Entertainment on a new Street Fighter movie featuring Chun Li as the central character. The film rights to Onimusha and Devil May Cry have also been sold by the company.