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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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(sparkling music)

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(heavy rain falling)

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(thunder cracks loudly)
(thunder rumbling)

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(heavy rain falling)

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(gentle music)

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- [Narrator] A bizarre
incident had occurred

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near the end of
the 20th century.

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A German production company

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called Constantin Film
had purchased the rights

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to a bestselling video
game created by Capcom

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with legendary director
George A. Romero

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hired to write and direct.

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One year later, he was
fired from the production.

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The case was apparently closed

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with the release of a
feature film in 2002

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directed by Paul W.S. Anderson,

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but questions regarding
Romero's unrealized film

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and his removal were
far from answered.

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(eerie music)

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(crows cawing distantly)

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(eerie music)

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(crows cawing)
(footsteps on dead leaves)

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(eerie music)

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(footsteps on dead leaves)
(eerie music)

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(deep growling)

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(eerie music)

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(deep growling)

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(eerie music)
(footsteps on dead leaves)

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(dog-like snarling)
(heavy panting)

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(footsteps on dead leaves)
(crickets chirping)

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(dog-like snarling)
(heavy panting)

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(eerie music)

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(wind howling)
(eerie music)

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(dog-like snarling)

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(footsteps approaching)

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(key clicks in door)

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(dog-like snarling)

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(eerie music)

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(eerie music)
(creaky footsteps)

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In 1968, Image Ten unleashed

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a visceral experience
upon the world

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that shocked
audiences everywhere.

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(woman screaming)

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- [Movie Narrator] "Night
of the Living Dead."

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The dead, who live
on living flesh.

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The dead, whose haunted
souls hunt the living.

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The living, whose
bodies are the only food

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for these ungodly creatures.

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- George Andrew Romero was
born in February of 1940

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in Bronx in New York.

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His father was a
graphic designer

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and he used to make
posters for films

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and for Broadway shows,
banners and the like like that,

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so when George was growing up,

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he was really in a household
that kind of celebrated film.

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- He was one that
took that love of film

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and actually acted on it.

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He didn't say, "I just wanna
grow up and be a filmmaker."

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He started making his
films at an early age,

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and the famous story of
throwing the flaming dummy

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off the building and getting
arrested at a young age.

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- George came to Pittsburgh

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to attend what was then
called Carnegie Tech.

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It's now Carnegie
Mellon University,

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and he came here to
be an art student.

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Came, started taking
his art classes,

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and eventually kind
of got rolled in

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with some folks in
the drama department,

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started doing theater,

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and eventually they
kind of got swept up in

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sort of emerging television.

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(playful music)

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Eventually they knew
that sort of this crew

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with Latent Image, which
was sort of the company

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that they had put together.

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So you have George and Russ
Streiner and Jack Russo

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and a couple of the Ricci folks

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kind of all together
working to figure out

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how they can kind of
navigate this space.

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And eventually the idea
came to make a horror film,

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that it'd be easier to get
funding for, it'd be cheap,

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they didn't need
a lot of skills,

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they kind of pull this off.

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And they had a script that
was adapted by Jack Russo.

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He had written this
"Night of Anubis."

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It was the original title,

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but it was this general
story that we know as

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"Night of the Living Dead."

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(dramatic music)
(glass shattering)

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(woman screaming in fear)

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- There was an aspect of
it that was very surreal

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and sort of dreamlike.

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I remember when the character
Ben is clubbing the zombies,

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and the way he's hitting them

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and the way the sound effects
are kind of off sync a bit,

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and it's just kind of strange.

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It feels like
you're watching it,

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you're just slipping into
some kind of nightmare.

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- They really learned how
to make a film together

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sort of organically.

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I think fans know that George
did not go film school,

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neither did any of the
other folks in Latent Image.

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They took their video
production skills

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that they had learned from
television and applied it,

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but they learned it sort
of in a different way

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and on their own.

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- Some of the ways
the characters speak
are a little funny.

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"They're coming to
get you, Barbara."

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It's kind of funny,
but then it like,

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it gives you a sucker punch
and scares the shit outta you.

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- And it's like, Roger
Ebert's original review

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of "Night of the Living Dead,"

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he said, "These kids were
dropped off in a matinee

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thinking they're gonna see some
spooky Vincent Price movie,"

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and of course they're
eating livers and stuff

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and these kids were in shock!

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- There's a pretty safe scene

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where they're shouldn't
be anything of menace.

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But then all of a sudden this
zombie comes out for no reason

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and starts killing one of the
characters who you've just met

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and you're like, "Wow.
What's going on now?"

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I wound up going
to Scream Theater

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and watching "Night
of the Living Dead,"

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and you know, the dead are
alive to eat the living!

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The weird thing is
they made references

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to all these other places

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that my family would camp in
when we'd go to Pittsburgh!

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So it was utterly terrifying!

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- I love that. I can't tell
if "Night of the Living Dead"

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is an old or a modern film.

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It just kind of splits
two eras down the middle.

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- I'm 14 years old

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and they're having a
convention in Monroeville,

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and I see George Romero,

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director of "Night of the
Living Dead" is gonna be there.

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And I was like, "All right, I
wanna go meet this psychopath

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that would make a movie

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that would give somebody
nightmares like this."

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Met George, got an
autograph from George,

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realized George was one of the
nicest people on the planet.

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And then me, this 14-year-old,
cornered George Romero,

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literally cornered
him in the hotel

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and was asking him question
after question after question.

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And finally he just writes
on a piece of paper,

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"247 Fort Pitt
Boulevard," the address,

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and goes "Here, write me."

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Then it was just,
we became pen pals

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and I still have those letters.

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- I just remember the immediacy

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of the sequences
with the zombies

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and how it felt
like you were under

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a constant sense of
terror and foreboding.

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- There were no R-rated movies

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before "Night of
the Living Dead,"

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and "Night of the Living Dead,"
of course, has no rating.

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- [Narrator speaking]

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- That really made a big impact

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because at the time it
was released, of course,

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on the news, you're seeing
worse stuff in that every day,

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people being burned
with flame throwers

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and you all the
Vietnam with the napalm

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and the skin falling
off and shit.

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And so suddenly the horror
movies were not that horrific

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because what you saw on the news

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was a lot more frightening.

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(zombie groaning)

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(intense dramatic music)
(loud thud)

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(gunshot firing)

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(zombies groaning)
(woman screaming)

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(intense music)

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(woman's screams echoing)

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- I think George
really took things

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to the next level on that.

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One of the most memorable scenes

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is when the truck is burning

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and there's flames
flying everywhere

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and somebody's taking a
piece of flesh and gnawing.

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We hadn't seen anything
like that on camera.

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- [Narrator] After "Night
of the Living Dead,"

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the definition of
zombie would change.

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No longer inspired by
misconstrued Haitian folklore,

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the zombie would now be your
neighbors, your friends,

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your family, the
reanimated corpses

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of the recently
dead, seeking flesh.

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- Yeah, they're dead.
They're all messed up.

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- [Narrator] And
while slow moving,

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could only be stopped
by destroying the brain,

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- [Interviewee] Beat
'em or burn 'em.

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- Of course, it famously set
the rules for zombie film.

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How zombies work, how
the brain is the zombie,

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you shoot the
brain, you kill it.

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And that's been the
common trope ever since.

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- They didn't try to go
back to New York City,

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they didn't try to go to LA,
they didn't go to Chicago,

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they did it here in Pittsburgh.

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The fact that we still
have a film industry here

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is because of the work they did.

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- This is probably
the most inspiring

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independent film of all time.

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- [Narrator] For Romero,
attempts to branch out

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into other genres were met
with less enthusiastic results.

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So in 1973, he returned to
horror with "The Crazies"

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about a chemical weapon
unleashed upon the population

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of Evan City, Pennsylvania,

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turning them into
violent psychopaths.

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And "Martin."

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- My name is Martin.

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I'm 84 years

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- The 1977 Classic
about a serial killer

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that believed he was a vampire.

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But it was his next film
that cemented George Romero

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in the minds of
audiences worldwide.

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- [Movie Narrator]
"Dawn of the Dead."

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- Meet me on the
roof at nine o'clock.

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We're getting out.
- But I don't believe it.

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- We've gotta get
out in the chopper.

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- [Narrator] The film
followed four survivors

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of the zombie apocalypse

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that barricade themselves
within a shopping mall

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as the world around
them falls apart.

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- [Movie Narrator] "Night of
the Living Dead" has ended.

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(person screaming)

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"Dawn of the Dead" is here.

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- [Narrator] Filmed
at the Monroeville
Mall near Pittsburgh,

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- [Narrator] Filmed
at the Monroeville
Mall near Pittsburgh,

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the 1978 film became
an instant hit

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and the mall itself
became a monument

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for Romero fans to visit
in the decades to follow.

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- The movie opened up
and they knew right away

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that they were sitting
on a big hit film.

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"Dawn of the Dead" really
turned Romero's career around

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and it was a massive hit.

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It was released unrated

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because they were afraid they
were gonna get an X-rating

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because of the violence in it.

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- In 1977, when Tom Savini
asked me to do a role

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00:12:00,761 --> 00:12:04,431
in "Dawn of the Dead," we did
the makeup, head castings,

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and when I got onto
the set at the little

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00:12:06,684 --> 00:12:09,477
Harold Brown Airport,
the Monroeville Airport,

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00:12:09,478 --> 00:12:11,646
that's when I first got
to see and meet George.

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And he was in the
middle of directing,

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but I could tell just
by the way he moved,

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and sometimes you go by
your first impression,

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and that first impression
I think was pretty solid

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in terms of he was
very gregarious, he
was very friendly,

248
00:12:26,704 --> 00:12:30,707
he was very open and receptive,
and at the same time,

249
00:12:30,708 --> 00:12:32,876
he knew exactly what
he wanted to do.

250
00:12:32,877 --> 00:12:36,546
If somebody had a
slightly better idea,

251
00:12:36,547 --> 00:12:39,382
well, let's hear it, maybe
we can bring that in.

252
00:12:39,383 --> 00:12:42,011
- [Narrator speaking]

253
00:13:06,911 --> 00:13:09,412
- Tom was behind the boxes
ready to pump the blood

254
00:13:09,413 --> 00:13:11,039
as somebody was ready to yank

255
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,374
the top piece of my head off.

256
00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:16,419
The apparatus that is,
not my actual head.

257
00:13:16,420 --> 00:13:19,088
And that timing
was pretty precise.

258
00:13:19,089 --> 00:13:20,548
We did everything in one take.

259
00:13:20,549 --> 00:13:22,425
George was smiling,
he looked at it.

260
00:13:22,426 --> 00:13:24,427
He said, "This was just great."

261
00:13:24,428 --> 00:13:28,056
- I discovered George Romero
through my brother Taso,

262
00:13:28,057 --> 00:13:31,100
who was going to Carnegie Mellon
University with Tom Savini,

263
00:13:31,101 --> 00:13:32,936
who was just at
the time becoming

264
00:13:32,937 --> 00:13:35,522
sort of known as the
special effects guy

265
00:13:35,523 --> 00:13:37,857
because he had done a film
of George called "Martin,"

266
00:13:37,858 --> 00:13:40,944
and then Taso worked with
him on "Dawn of the Dead."

267
00:13:40,945 --> 00:13:44,113
They both did a lot of
stunts and acrobatics

268
00:13:44,114 --> 00:13:45,782
and stage combat at CMU.

269
00:13:45,783 --> 00:13:48,451
And so they became the
stuntmen on "Dawn of the Dead"

270
00:13:48,452 --> 00:13:50,203
in addition to Tom doing
all the makeup effects.

271
00:13:50,204 --> 00:13:52,789
And so Taso plays several
zombies and also gets killed,

272
00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:55,917
but as a kid, this is
really like impressive shit!

273
00:13:55,918 --> 00:13:57,961
Like, you know, your
brother's in a movie!

274
00:13:57,962 --> 00:14:00,547
He's on the magic side of
the screen now, you know?

275
00:14:00,548 --> 00:14:02,257
I grew up as steeped in that,

276
00:14:02,258 --> 00:14:04,801
so that was my Holy Trinity
was Taso, Tom, and George.

277
00:14:04,802 --> 00:14:08,388
- I got to meet George again
at a place in Pittsburgh

278
00:14:08,389 --> 00:14:10,098
called the Pittsburgh
Mattress Factory.

279
00:14:10,099 --> 00:14:11,766
They showed "Night."

280
00:14:11,767 --> 00:14:13,893
Afterwards, there was
questions, and George just...

281
00:14:13,894 --> 00:14:15,270
George was George.

282
00:14:15,271 --> 00:14:16,437
He would come through
the front door.

283
00:14:16,438 --> 00:14:18,273
There was no special treatments,

284
00:14:18,274 --> 00:14:21,277
there was no anything like that.

285
00:14:21,944 --> 00:14:22,945
And I'm just like...

286
00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,905
I can't remember.

287
00:14:25,906 --> 00:14:29,158
My mother's standing
behind me and she goes,

288
00:14:29,159 --> 00:14:30,911
"He makes movies too."

289
00:14:32,121 --> 00:14:37,585
She just told George
Romero that I make movies.

290
00:14:38,586 --> 00:14:41,963
And so with just
stupidity, I went, "Oh!"

291
00:14:41,964 --> 00:14:45,633
And smashed my face into
this brick wall by accident.

292
00:14:45,634 --> 00:14:49,262
And after he checked on me, he
goes, "What I want you to do

293
00:14:49,263 --> 00:14:54,685
is write down all
your questions, come
down to the office,

294
00:14:55,519 --> 00:14:57,604
and spend an afternoon with me."

295
00:14:57,605 --> 00:14:58,980
I had my list of questions.

296
00:14:58,981 --> 00:15:01,816
We sat down in Georgia
Romero's office

297
00:15:01,817 --> 00:15:06,112
and spent the afternoon, and
he answered all my questions.

298
00:15:06,113 --> 00:15:10,992
And when it was done, he
goes, "I'm making this movie

299
00:15:10,993 --> 00:15:13,161
about these knights
that ride motorcycles.

300
00:15:13,162 --> 00:15:16,331
I would love you for you
to be my apprentice."

301
00:15:16,332 --> 00:15:18,207
Yes! Absolutely!

302
00:15:18,208 --> 00:15:20,501
And so did he inspire me?

303
00:15:20,502 --> 00:15:22,211
Oh, hell yes, he inspired me.

304
00:15:22,212 --> 00:15:24,672
- [Narrator] Romero
returned again for a third,

305
00:15:24,673 --> 00:15:28,009
and at that time, final entry
in this "Living Dead" series

306
00:15:28,010 --> 00:15:31,554
with the 1985 film
"Day of the Dead."

307
00:15:31,555 --> 00:15:34,557
- On my 21st birthday, I
got into the different scene

308
00:15:34,558 --> 00:15:36,059
and we ended up killing Rhodes.

309
00:15:36,060 --> 00:15:38,144
I remember George
looked at me and I go,

310
00:15:38,145 --> 00:15:39,520
"It's my 21st birthday."

311
00:15:39,521 --> 00:15:41,856
And he's like,
"Why are you here?"

312
00:15:41,857 --> 00:15:44,651
And I'm like, "Where
else would I wanna be?

313
00:15:44,652 --> 00:15:47,070
This is the greatest
birthday ever!"

314
00:15:47,071 --> 00:15:49,739
Because I'd hung out with
Tom Savini and all them,

315
00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:51,824
they trusted me with some stuff

316
00:15:51,825 --> 00:15:54,035
so they put a blood
pump on my back,

317
00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:57,705
had it running down my arm,
and I had Joe Pilato's legs.

318
00:15:57,706 --> 00:15:59,749
And so I pumped blood
while we were dragging it

319
00:15:59,750 --> 00:16:03,586
and then the intestines
that were unrefrigerated

320
00:16:03,587 --> 00:16:05,171
because someone had
pulled out a plug.

321
00:16:05,172 --> 00:16:06,172
- Choke on 'em!

322
00:16:08,550 --> 00:16:09,885
Choke on 'em!

323
00:16:11,261 --> 00:16:15,390
- They were just, the smell
is exactly what everyone says.

324
00:16:15,391 --> 00:16:18,059
I mean, it was awful.

325
00:16:18,060 --> 00:16:19,352
- Hold it! Don't shoot!

326
00:16:19,353 --> 00:16:20,853
- You're crazy!

327
00:16:20,854 --> 00:16:22,772
- [Narrator] Romero's
films frequently placed

328
00:16:22,773 --> 00:16:25,441
the zombie concept
into a larger context

329
00:16:25,442 --> 00:16:26,860
within the narrative.

330
00:16:27,945 --> 00:16:29,737
"Night of The Living
Dead" was a story

331
00:16:29,738 --> 00:16:31,781
about a group of strangers
surviving the night

332
00:16:31,782 --> 00:16:34,575
in a farmhouse, assaulted
by ravenous ghouls.

333
00:16:34,576 --> 00:16:37,286
But beneath the surface
boiled social commentary

334
00:16:37,287 --> 00:16:39,080
on the Civil Rights movement

335
00:16:39,081 --> 00:16:42,542
and the treatment of African
Americans in American society.

336
00:16:42,543 --> 00:16:45,462
- You can be the boss down
there, I'm boss up here.

337
00:16:47,256 --> 00:16:48,799
- You bastards!

338
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,801
- Having this strong
Black character

339
00:16:51,802 --> 00:16:55,471
who then is just killed by the
vigilante hunters at the end.

340
00:16:55,472 --> 00:16:56,597
- All right, Vince,
hit him in the head,

341
00:16:56,598 --> 00:16:57,807
right between the eyes.

342
00:16:57,808 --> 00:16:59,642
(loud gunshot)
(sudden thud)

343
00:16:59,643 --> 00:17:01,811
- [Ben] It was part of that
zeitgeist to understand.

344
00:17:01,812 --> 00:17:02,937
- Good shot.

345
00:17:02,938 --> 00:17:04,814
Okay, he's dead.
Let's go get him.

346
00:17:04,815 --> 00:17:06,733
That's another one for the fire.

347
00:17:06,733 --> 00:17:08,443
- There's this sort
of racial commentary

348
00:17:08,444 --> 00:17:09,944
that was going through

349
00:17:09,944 --> 00:17:12,238
in reflection of the
turmoil of the '60s.

350
00:17:12,239 --> 00:17:15,074
- [Narrator] "Dawn of the Dead"
focused on over consumerism,

351
00:17:15,075 --> 00:17:18,161
greed, and America's
fascination with materialism.

352
00:17:18,162 --> 00:17:20,788
- We're in, now the hell
are we gonna get back?

353
00:17:20,789 --> 00:17:21,789
- Who the hell cares!

354
00:17:21,790 --> 00:17:23,165
Let's go shopping first!

355
00:17:23,166 --> 00:17:24,666
(both laughing)

356
00:17:24,667 --> 00:17:26,294
- [Narrator] Later films
would challenge sexism.

357
00:17:26,295 --> 00:17:27,671
- Let him go, goddamn it!

358
00:17:28,464 --> 00:17:29,590
Or I'll cut you in half.

359
00:17:30,799 --> 00:17:32,759
- [Narrator] Class
warfare, the War On Terror.

360
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:34,802
- We don't negotiate
with terrorists.

361
00:17:34,803 --> 00:17:36,512
- [Narrator] Tribalism.

362
00:17:36,513 --> 00:17:37,764
- [Character Voiceover] All we
were looking for was a place

363
00:17:37,765 --> 00:17:39,432
where there was no them.

364
00:17:39,433 --> 00:17:40,683
(loud gunshot)
(glass shatters)

365
00:17:40,684 --> 00:17:42,018
- [Narrator] And
detached voyeurism

366
00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:43,519
while witnessing
acts of violence.

367
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,481
- We become immune
too. Inoculated.

368
00:17:46,482 --> 00:17:49,442
- [Narrator] These core concepts
made George Romero's films

369
00:17:49,443 --> 00:17:51,652
feel raw, relatable, and real,

370
00:17:51,653 --> 00:17:53,362
that we could be
these characters

371
00:17:53,363 --> 00:17:55,323
in that very same predicament.

372
00:17:55,324 --> 00:17:56,783
- I think George touched on

373
00:17:56,784 --> 00:17:58,659
a lot of universal
themes with his movies,

374
00:17:58,660 --> 00:18:00,328
and I think that's
why so many people

375
00:18:00,329 --> 00:18:02,288
were able to relate to them.

376
00:18:02,289 --> 00:18:03,539
Because it was the every man.

377
00:18:03,540 --> 00:18:05,458
I mean, you would
see the military

378
00:18:05,459 --> 00:18:07,126
and you would see other people

379
00:18:07,127 --> 00:18:09,879
that we weren't used to
seeing in our everyday lives,

380
00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,881
but he really focused
on real people

381
00:18:11,882 --> 00:18:13,633
caught in real situations.

382
00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:15,676
- I think that is his
biggest social critique,

383
00:18:15,677 --> 00:18:18,721
was that he just didn't
have a lot of faith

384
00:18:18,722 --> 00:18:20,515
that humans could put
aside their differences

385
00:18:20,516 --> 00:18:23,726
and work together when they
really, really needed to.

386
00:18:23,727 --> 00:18:24,852
- [Narrator] All zombie media

387
00:18:24,853 --> 00:18:26,521
after "Night of the Living Dead"

388
00:18:26,522 --> 00:18:28,397
owed a debt of gratitude
toward the work

389
00:18:28,398 --> 00:18:30,691
of Image Ten and George Romero.

390
00:18:30,692 --> 00:18:34,070
And without George Romero,
there would not be...

391
00:18:34,071 --> 00:18:36,405
- [Game Narrator]
"Resident Evil."

392
00:18:36,406 --> 00:18:39,742
- [Narrator] In 1996,
Japanese game developer Capcom

393
00:18:39,743 --> 00:18:42,495
unleashed a new horror
experience on the world.

394
00:18:42,496 --> 00:18:44,038
(glass shattering)
(dog snarling)

395
00:18:44,039 --> 00:18:45,498
"Biohazard."

396
00:18:45,499 --> 00:18:48,084
One week later, the game
released in the United States

397
00:18:48,085 --> 00:18:50,419
as "Resident Evil,"
a bestselling title

398
00:18:50,420 --> 00:18:51,921
for the Sony PlayStation

399
00:18:51,922 --> 00:18:54,674
that launched Capcom to
new levels of success.

400
00:18:54,675 --> 00:18:56,884
For over 25 years,
"Resident Evil"

401
00:18:56,885 --> 00:18:58,845
has been a sales juggernaut

402
00:18:58,846 --> 00:19:03,016
with over 140 million total
games sold across the franchise.

403
00:19:04,393 --> 00:19:06,435
Part of that success came
from an immersive experience

404
00:19:06,436 --> 00:19:10,022
where players felt like
protagonists in a horror film.

405
00:19:10,023 --> 00:19:13,234
Not surprisingly,
its inspirations were
deeply influenced

406
00:19:13,235 --> 00:19:14,944
by horror cinema.

407
00:19:14,945 --> 00:19:19,615
In 1993, a senior Producer
at Capcom, Tokuro Fujiwara,

408
00:19:19,616 --> 00:19:21,701
desired to remake a video game

409
00:19:21,702 --> 00:19:23,578
he directed four years earlier

410
00:19:23,579 --> 00:19:26,248
for the Nintendo
Famicom, "Sweet Home."

411
00:19:26,582 --> 00:19:28,792
[Narrator speaking]

412
00:19:38,886 --> 00:19:42,305
(characters speaking Japanese)

413
00:19:42,306 --> 00:19:46,309
Based on the 1989 Japanese
horror film of the same name,

414
00:19:46,310 --> 00:19:49,312
Fujiwara crafted a
survival role playing game

415
00:19:49,313 --> 00:19:50,646
with the player controlling

416
00:19:50,647 --> 00:19:52,315
the five characters
from the movie,

417
00:19:52,316 --> 00:19:54,567
each with their own
unique abilities.

418
00:19:54,568 --> 00:19:57,612
The player was tasked with
exploring the spooky manor

419
00:19:57,613 --> 00:20:01,115
to solve various puzzles,
all while trying to survive

420
00:20:01,116 --> 00:20:03,910
against a menagerie
of monsters and traps

421
00:20:03,911 --> 00:20:06,120
that could permanently
kill the characters

422
00:20:06,121 --> 00:20:07,997
for the remainder of the game.

423
00:20:07,998 --> 00:20:10,166
Fujiwara believed a new game

424
00:20:10,167 --> 00:20:12,418
based on the gameplay
of "Sweet Home,"

425
00:20:12,419 --> 00:20:15,588
but utilizing new hardware
could entice an audience.

426
00:20:15,589 --> 00:20:19,175
"Biohazard" was intended to
be a remake of "Sweet Home,"

427
00:20:19,176 --> 00:20:21,302
but because "Sweet
Home" was based on

428
00:20:21,303 --> 00:20:25,306
a Japanese movie property,
Capcom did not have the ability

429
00:20:25,307 --> 00:20:28,017
to use that license
for their new game,

430
00:20:28,018 --> 00:20:30,645
so they decided to go with
something original instead.

431
00:20:30,646 --> 00:20:33,481
And in terms of the development
of the original "Biohazard,"

432
00:20:33,482 --> 00:20:35,858
it started sometime around 1993

433
00:20:35,859 --> 00:20:39,862
when it became increasingly
clear that 3D video games

434
00:20:39,863 --> 00:20:43,157
would become a technical
and a creative possibility.

435
00:20:43,158 --> 00:20:45,534
The original creator of the
"Sweet Home" video game,

436
00:20:45,535 --> 00:20:49,497
Tokuro Fujiwara, was a Producer
at Capcom at that point.

437
00:20:49,498 --> 00:20:53,501
So at Capcom, Producers often
have the greatest ability

438
00:20:53,502 --> 00:20:54,794
to get projects green lit.

439
00:20:54,795 --> 00:20:56,504
Even after "Sweet Home,"

440
00:20:56,505 --> 00:20:58,881
even though they were able
to create it and release it,

441
00:20:58,882 --> 00:21:01,175
it didn't do very
well for Capcom

442
00:21:01,176 --> 00:21:03,219
and it was never even
released outside of Japan,

443
00:21:03,220 --> 00:21:05,638
which was another reason
why it didn't really garner

444
00:21:05,639 --> 00:21:07,181
the sales numbers
or the awareness

445
00:21:07,182 --> 00:21:08,849
that Fujiwara was hoping for.

446
00:21:08,850 --> 00:21:10,309
But with the next
game, "Biohazard,"

447
00:21:10,310 --> 00:21:11,852
they were trying to
aim for something

448
00:21:11,853 --> 00:21:13,729
a little more worldwide
in its approach.

449
00:21:13,730 --> 00:21:15,064
They wanted it to be accessible

450
00:21:15,065 --> 00:21:16,857
and something that
would showcase

451
00:21:16,858 --> 00:21:19,360
this new upcoming
era of 3D gaming.

452
00:21:19,361 --> 00:21:22,321
- [Narrator] He found a young
employee named Shinji Mikami,

453
00:21:22,322 --> 00:21:25,199
whose recent games "Goof
Troop" and "Aladdin"

454
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,870
were well received, and asked
him to lead development.

455
00:21:29,037 --> 00:21:31,540
[Narrator speaking]

456
00:22:02,446 --> 00:22:06,283
(Kenichi speaking Japanese)

457
00:23:09,805 --> 00:23:11,680
- I think the most iconic
thing about "Resident Evil"

458
00:23:11,681 --> 00:23:14,600
is pressing start and you
hear that, "Resident Evil".

459
00:23:14,601 --> 00:23:16,685
It just puts you in the game.

460
00:23:16,686 --> 00:23:20,314
And walking into that mansion
and just the sound design

461
00:23:20,315 --> 00:23:24,652
and the creepiness factor,
going and exploring each room.

462
00:23:24,653 --> 00:23:26,529
And the great thing about
the old PlayStations

463
00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:29,490
is when you had to
walk up to the door

464
00:23:29,491 --> 00:23:31,033
and you go through it,

465
00:23:31,034 --> 00:23:32,368
you didn't know what was
gonna be on the other side!

466
00:23:32,369 --> 00:23:34,036
It would sometimes
be a surprise,

467
00:23:34,037 --> 00:23:35,830
and that's what I
loved about the game.

468
00:23:35,831 --> 00:23:37,957
- It was the first time I
experienced that level of gore

469
00:23:37,958 --> 00:23:43,004
in video games, and
it definitely helped
ramp up the horror.

470
00:23:44,339 --> 00:23:45,840
- [Movie Narrator] Bizarre
murder cases have recently

471
00:23:45,841 --> 00:23:47,883
occurred in Raccoon City.

472
00:23:47,884 --> 00:23:50,010
There are outlandish
reports of families

473
00:23:50,011 --> 00:23:53,180
being attacked by a
group of about 10 people.

474
00:23:53,181 --> 00:23:55,474
Victims were apparently eaten.

475
00:23:55,475 --> 00:23:57,226
- [Narrator] This
cinematic inspiration

476
00:23:57,227 --> 00:23:59,228
book ended the gaming experience

477
00:23:59,229 --> 00:24:01,147
through live action sequences

478
00:24:01,148 --> 00:24:03,065
filmed to look like
they were pulled

479
00:24:03,066 --> 00:24:05,025
straight from a horror film.

480
00:24:05,026 --> 00:24:06,527
- It was quite a long time ago,

481
00:24:06,528 --> 00:24:09,029
but I do have a fairly
strong recollection

482
00:24:09,030 --> 00:24:12,408
of the day where we were
shooting the outdoor scenes.

483
00:24:12,409 --> 00:24:15,077
It was kind of outside
of the center of Tokyo

484
00:24:15,078 --> 00:24:16,704
near the Tama River.

485
00:24:16,705 --> 00:24:18,831
It was a hot night, there
was lots of mosquitoes

486
00:24:18,832 --> 00:24:20,916
and they were using
smoke machines.

487
00:24:20,917 --> 00:24:22,585
There were some
really cool props

488
00:24:22,586 --> 00:24:26,213
of the dogs and the hand
that's holding the gun.

489
00:24:26,214 --> 00:24:29,091
And I recall running
around in the grass,

490
00:24:29,092 --> 00:24:31,093
they would then just give
us some direction, like,

491
00:24:31,094 --> 00:24:32,845
"Look this way. Shoot your gun."

492
00:24:32,846 --> 00:24:35,222
There wasn't a rehearsal,
it was all just kind of done

493
00:24:35,223 --> 00:24:36,932
by the seat of our pants.

494
00:24:36,933 --> 00:24:39,018
But it was a lot of
fun, the crew were fun

495
00:24:39,019 --> 00:24:41,270
and I think we all just,

496
00:24:41,271 --> 00:24:45,107
we didn't really know
what we were getting into

497
00:24:45,108 --> 00:24:47,443
until we got there
and we got into it.

498
00:24:47,444 --> 00:24:49,237
- No! Don't go!

499
00:24:50,447 --> 00:24:52,114
- [Narrator] It was almost
like "Resident Evil"

500
00:24:52,115 --> 00:24:54,909
was a video game based
on a horror film,

501
00:24:54,910 --> 00:24:58,245
albeit one that
didn't actually exist.

502
00:24:58,246 --> 00:25:01,081
The gameplay consisted
of action sequences

503
00:25:01,082 --> 00:25:04,460
with emphasis on
exploration, puzzle solving,

504
00:25:04,461 --> 00:25:06,086
and resource management,

505
00:25:06,087 --> 00:25:08,464
all while combating
the horrific enemies

506
00:25:08,465 --> 00:25:10,382
within its environment.

507
00:25:10,383 --> 00:25:13,261
The player chose
between two characters;

508
00:25:14,429 --> 00:25:16,055
Chris Redfield or
Jill Valentine,

509
00:25:16,056 --> 00:25:18,557
members of an elite
police task force,

510
00:25:18,558 --> 00:25:22,103
The Special Tactics and
Rescue Service, or S.T.A.R.S,

511
00:25:22,437 --> 00:25:24,605
as they investigated
gruesome murders

512
00:25:24,606 --> 00:25:27,108
in the mountains
outside Raccoon City.

513
00:25:27,734 --> 00:25:31,488
(Kenichi speaking Japanese)

514
00:26:00,183 --> 00:26:04,103
Trapped in a sinister mansion
infested with zombies,

515
00:26:04,104 --> 00:26:08,315
giant spiders, and other
nightmarish creatures,

516
00:26:08,316 --> 00:26:10,651
the two uncovered that
the mansion harbored

517
00:26:10,652 --> 00:26:14,363
an underground laboratory
with illegal viral experiments

518
00:26:14,364 --> 00:26:16,949
conducted by the
pharmaceutical company

519
00:26:16,950 --> 00:26:18,659
Umbrella Incorporated.

520
00:26:18,660 --> 00:26:22,497
(Kenichi speaking Japanese)

521
00:28:04,974 --> 00:28:08,477
In the end, Chris and Jill
discovered that their leader

522
00:28:08,478 --> 00:28:10,771
Captain Wesker to be a traitor,

523
00:28:10,772 --> 00:28:12,898
battled the ultimate
weapon Tyrant,

524
00:28:12,899 --> 00:28:16,735
and narrowly escaped before
the mansion exploded.

525
00:28:16,736 --> 00:28:18,487
- The game that I was in

526
00:28:18,488 --> 00:28:21,824
was pretty cutting
edge for its time.

527
00:28:21,825 --> 00:28:23,325
I think it was really neat

528
00:28:23,326 --> 00:28:26,120
that they had the live
action cut scenes in it.

529
00:28:26,121 --> 00:28:28,122
It wasn't just a
shoot 'em up game,

530
00:28:28,123 --> 00:28:29,790
you had to solve puzzles.

531
00:28:29,791 --> 00:28:34,253
It kind of ushered in a
whole new kind of video game.

532
00:28:34,254 --> 00:28:35,838
- It's a weapon.

533
00:28:35,839 --> 00:28:40,342
It's really powerful, especially
against living things.

534
00:28:40,343 --> 00:28:42,136
Better take it with you.

535
00:28:42,137 --> 00:28:45,139
- In 2007, I would meet Shinji
Mikami for the first time

536
00:28:45,140 --> 00:28:49,184
and he would tell me that the
voice acting was done in Japan

537
00:28:49,185 --> 00:28:51,603
and recorded
intentionally in a way

538
00:28:51,604 --> 00:28:54,356
such that Japanese
people could understand,

539
00:28:54,357 --> 00:28:56,859
even this level
of simple English.

540
00:28:56,860 --> 00:29:01,864
- This house is dangerous,
there are terrible demons.

541
00:29:01,865 --> 00:29:03,615
Ouch!

542
00:29:03,616 --> 00:29:06,660
- The idea was to make it
palatable for Japanese people

543
00:29:06,661 --> 00:29:08,287
rather than
international audiences,

544
00:29:08,288 --> 00:29:09,705
which I thought
was a fascinating

545
00:29:09,706 --> 00:29:11,707
and ultimately an
understandable decision.

546
00:29:11,708 --> 00:29:14,293
- I see. Well, it's
not your fault.

547
00:29:14,294 --> 00:29:15,836
This place is crazy!

548
00:29:15,837 --> 00:29:18,338
- All of us, I think we
just didn't really know.

549
00:29:18,339 --> 00:29:20,549
All we knew is that
it was a video game,

550
00:29:20,550 --> 00:29:23,469
something that we
didn't know much about.

551
00:29:23,470 --> 00:29:27,723
I didn't even know until
20-some years later

552
00:29:27,724 --> 00:29:29,349
that I was part of
"Resident Evil,"

553
00:29:29,350 --> 00:29:31,518
because they called
it "Biohazard."

554
00:29:31,519 --> 00:29:35,148
- [Narrator] "Resident Evil"
sold over 2.7 million copies

555
00:29:35,315 --> 00:29:40,569
worldwide after it was
released on March 22nd, 1996.

556
00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:42,738
An expanded version of the game,

557
00:29:42,739 --> 00:29:45,365
"Resident Evil:
The Director's Cut"

558
00:29:45,366 --> 00:29:48,410
sold an additional
2 million copies.

559
00:29:48,411 --> 00:29:50,078
- It was just so
different for games

560
00:29:50,079 --> 00:29:51,830
that I played at the time

561
00:29:51,831 --> 00:29:54,875
that it was the most immersive
way to experience horror.

562
00:29:54,876 --> 00:29:58,378
It was a brand new way
to experience horror
other than film.

563
00:29:58,379 --> 00:30:00,714
- It was a an
immersive experience

564
00:30:00,715 --> 00:30:02,716
that I was not used
to with video games.

565
00:30:02,717 --> 00:30:05,427
And the thing that I noticed
the most about "Resident Evil"

566
00:30:05,428 --> 00:30:07,846
is just how fucking
creepy they were.

567
00:30:07,847 --> 00:30:09,890
The sound effects and
the fact you couldn't see

568
00:30:09,891 --> 00:30:12,726
all the way down the halls,
and "What the hell was that?"

569
00:30:12,727 --> 00:30:14,603
Your mind would start
playing tricks on you.

570
00:30:14,604 --> 00:30:18,608
(Kenichi speaking Japanese)

571
00:31:46,988 --> 00:31:48,655
- Most people at
Capcom at the time

572
00:31:48,656 --> 00:31:50,449
thought that the
company was done for,

573
00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:53,118
heading into the second
half of the '90s.

574
00:31:53,119 --> 00:31:54,870
And when "Biohazard" came out

575
00:31:54,871 --> 00:31:59,166
and surpassed anybody's
sales expectations,

576
00:31:59,167 --> 00:32:02,002
I think that that
revitalized Capcom's business

577
00:32:02,003 --> 00:32:06,548
and gave them another hit to
kind of move forward with.

578
00:32:06,549 --> 00:32:08,342
According to Yoshiki Okamoto,

579
00:32:08,343 --> 00:32:10,135
one of of Capcom's
other Producers,

580
00:32:10,136 --> 00:32:13,472
that was one of the first
million selling titles

581
00:32:13,473 --> 00:32:15,182
on the original PlayStation.

582
00:32:15,183 --> 00:32:18,019
- [Narrator] "Resident Evil"
was an explosive sleeper hit

583
00:32:18,394 --> 00:32:21,396
and Capcom now had
one clear goal:

584
00:32:21,397 --> 00:32:23,650
Create a franchise.

585
00:32:23,858 --> 00:32:25,901
- That's a testament
to Shinji Mikami

586
00:32:25,902 --> 00:32:29,071
and all the people at
Capcom that developed it.

587
00:32:29,072 --> 00:32:31,198
- [Narrator] While a
sequel entered development,

588
00:32:31,199 --> 00:32:34,077
Capcom sought interest in
their newest hit video game

589
00:32:34,243 --> 00:32:36,036
to be brought to the big screen.

590
00:32:36,037 --> 00:32:40,749
- They got started on the sequel
very quickly in early 1996,

591
00:32:40,750 --> 00:32:42,501
but once the
original "Biohazard"

592
00:32:42,502 --> 00:32:44,920
was obviously going to
be a a great success,

593
00:32:44,921 --> 00:32:47,839
they assembled the team
to go make the next one.

594
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:53,096
(clock ticking)
(loud whirring)

595
00:32:59,602 --> 00:33:02,730
(heavy breathing)

596
00:33:03,856 --> 00:33:08,695
(pen sliding over paper)
(heavy breathing)

597
00:33:15,410 --> 00:33:17,954
(pen snaps)

598
00:33:19,747 --> 00:33:23,291
- [Narrator] In January,
1997, Variety reported

599
00:33:23,292 --> 00:33:26,753
a German film production
company, Constantin Film,

600
00:33:26,754 --> 00:33:29,047
purchased the film
rights to "Resident Evil"

601
00:33:29,048 --> 00:33:32,092
with Alan B. McElroy,
at that time known for

602
00:33:32,093 --> 00:33:35,303
"Halloween 4: The Return
of Michael Myers,"

603
00:33:35,304 --> 00:33:37,223
hired to write the screenplay.

604
00:33:37,432 --> 00:33:39,267
[Narrator speaking]

605
00:34:15,011 --> 00:34:16,636
By the mid '90s,

606
00:34:16,637 --> 00:34:19,139
Constantin Film was known
in the United States

607
00:34:19,139 --> 00:34:23,476
primarily for producing "The
NeverEnding Story" in 1984,

608
00:34:23,478 --> 00:34:25,603
and for an unreleased adaptation

609
00:34:25,605 --> 00:34:28,190
of the "Fantastic Four" in 1993.

610
00:34:28,190 --> 00:34:32,319
Made for $2 million,
"Fantastic Four" was produced

611
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,989
in conjunction with Roger
Corman's New World Pictures.

612
00:34:35,989 --> 00:34:38,617
Constantin Film,
having had the rights

613
00:34:38,618 --> 00:34:40,659
to the property
for several years,

614
00:34:40,661 --> 00:34:42,536
were on the verge
of having the rights

615
00:34:42,538 --> 00:34:44,498
revert back to Marvel Comics

616
00:34:44,498 --> 00:34:49,837
if a film wasn't put
into production by
December 31st, 1992.

617
00:34:50,670 --> 00:34:51,797
Principal photography commenced

618
00:34:51,797 --> 00:34:53,507
three days before the deadline.

619
00:34:53,507 --> 00:34:57,677
Recounted by the film's actors
and even Stan Lee himself,

620
00:34:57,678 --> 00:35:00,305
the film was never
intended for release.

621
00:35:00,306 --> 00:35:01,723
Critics point to the film

622
00:35:01,724 --> 00:35:04,017
as an embarrassing
example of greed,

623
00:35:04,018 --> 00:35:06,812
but the truth was
that Constantin Films

624
00:35:06,813 --> 00:35:09,189
stood to lose on their
initial investment,

625
00:35:09,190 --> 00:35:13,026
an investment that later paid
off when 20th Century Fox

626
00:35:13,027 --> 00:35:15,529
produced their own
"Fantastic Four" film

627
00:35:15,530 --> 00:35:18,907
and paid Constantin
as part of the deal.

628
00:35:18,908 --> 00:35:23,662
Alan McElroy delivered his
first draft in May, 1997.

629
00:35:23,663 --> 00:35:26,331
The script changed major
elements of the game.

630
00:35:26,332 --> 00:35:29,543
The characters were no
longer an elite police unit.

631
00:35:29,544 --> 00:35:32,712
Instead, a ragtag group
of military veterans

632
00:35:32,713 --> 00:35:34,214
each with personal problems

633
00:35:34,215 --> 00:35:36,842
exploited by Albert
Wesker to recruit them.

634
00:35:36,843 --> 00:35:39,427
Absent was the iconic
mansion of the game.

635
00:35:39,428 --> 00:35:41,388
Instead, the action took place

636
00:35:41,389 --> 00:35:45,559
within a top secret laboratory
built within a mountainside.

637
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,727
As McElroy submitted
his first draft,

638
00:35:47,728 --> 00:35:49,729
Capcom confirmed
their partnership

639
00:35:49,730 --> 00:35:52,065
with Constantin Film
through interviews

640
00:35:52,066 --> 00:35:55,902
during the Electronic
Entertainment Expo event.

641
00:35:55,903 --> 00:35:58,113
Capcom showcased
upcoming titles,

642
00:35:58,114 --> 00:36:01,533
including the highly
anticipated "Resident Evil 2."

643
00:36:01,534 --> 00:36:03,785
The movie was expected
to film shortly

644
00:36:03,786 --> 00:36:06,746
with a release near
the end of 1998.

645
00:36:06,747 --> 00:36:09,291
But for Capcom, a sequel
to "Resident Evil"

646
00:36:09,292 --> 00:36:10,792
that surpassed the original

647
00:36:10,793 --> 00:36:13,128
was the primary focus
for the company.

648
00:36:13,129 --> 00:36:15,797
Capcom earned
nearly $200 million

649
00:36:15,798 --> 00:36:17,257
in sales from the original,

650
00:36:17,258 --> 00:36:19,634
and the new director,
Hideki Kamiya,

651
00:36:19,635 --> 00:36:21,595
felt intense pressure
for the sequel

652
00:36:21,596 --> 00:36:23,723
to live up to its predecessor.

653
00:36:23,890 --> 00:36:25,975
[Narrator speaking]

654
00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:01,801
The original build
was scrapped entirely

655
00:37:01,802 --> 00:37:04,429
after the team couldn't
match the quality expected

656
00:37:04,430 --> 00:37:06,473
not only by Capcom Executives,

657
00:37:06,474 --> 00:37:08,475
but also their own expectations.

658
00:37:08,476 --> 00:37:10,143
Now rebuilt from the ground up

659
00:37:10,144 --> 00:37:12,854
with a script written
by Noboru Sugimura,

660
00:37:12,855 --> 00:37:16,858
"Resident Evil 2" was
delayed to January, 1998.

661
00:37:16,859 --> 00:37:19,027
With increased hype
surrounding the game,

662
00:37:19,028 --> 00:37:21,821
Capcom planned and
ambitious marketing campaign

663
00:37:21,822 --> 00:37:24,282
unheard of for a video
game at that time

664
00:37:24,283 --> 00:37:28,495
and committed $1.5 million
on a live action commercial

665
00:37:28,496 --> 00:37:30,831
to advertise the
upcoming sequel.

666
00:37:32,166 --> 00:37:35,210
There was only one man
they had in mind to direct.

667
00:37:35,211 --> 00:37:37,003
- That was kind of a big deal
'cause it was the first time

668
00:37:37,004 --> 00:37:39,839
George had opened
a lens on anything,

669
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:42,676
especially something
involving zombies for years.

670
00:37:42,677 --> 00:37:45,178
And so that was big news. It
made the cover of "Fangoria."

671
00:37:45,179 --> 00:37:47,013
- We do have some
materials that relate

672
00:37:47,014 --> 00:37:50,058
directly to the commercial
for "Biohazard 2,"

673
00:37:50,059 --> 00:37:51,726
as it was known in Japan,

674
00:37:51,727 --> 00:37:53,186
what he was hired to
direct commercial for,

675
00:37:53,187 --> 00:37:55,021
"Resident Evil 2" in
the United States.

676
00:37:55,022 --> 00:37:58,066
And it's some of the
storyboards for this commercial,

677
00:37:58,067 --> 00:37:59,734
some of the character designs,

678
00:37:59,735 --> 00:38:01,194
and some of the kind of artwork

679
00:38:01,195 --> 00:38:02,821
that would've been
used to inspire this.

680
00:38:02,822 --> 00:38:04,698
A lot of information
for him really

681
00:38:04,699 --> 00:38:06,741
about who the characters are,

682
00:38:06,742 --> 00:38:08,576
what the storyline of this was

683
00:38:08,577 --> 00:38:10,870
so that he could
kind of effectively
make this commercial.

684
00:38:10,871 --> 00:38:12,372
He himself was not a gamer

685
00:38:12,373 --> 00:38:14,249
so he was not familiar
with these games,

686
00:38:14,250 --> 00:38:16,251
so some of this was to give
him this background info.

687
00:38:16,252 --> 00:38:18,086
- [Narrator] Shot
over several nights

688
00:38:18,087 --> 00:38:20,839
in downtown Los Angeles at
the Lincoln Heights Jail,

689
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,216
an empty and often
used filming location

690
00:38:23,217 --> 00:38:26,052
for movies, TV,
and music videos,

691
00:38:26,053 --> 00:38:27,721
the building was
dressed to resemble

692
00:38:27,722 --> 00:38:29,347
the Raccoon Police Department,

693
00:38:29,348 --> 00:38:32,017
a location from the
upcoming "Resident Evil 2."

694
00:38:32,018 --> 00:38:35,437
- I wound up as a zombie in
a George Romero commercial.

695
00:38:35,438 --> 00:38:37,105
I'm still marveling about that.

696
00:38:37,106 --> 00:38:39,274
I mean, as a horror nerd,

697
00:38:39,275 --> 00:38:41,609
that's one of the great
moments of your life.

698
00:38:41,610 --> 00:38:43,361
I was sent in for a commercial

699
00:38:43,362 --> 00:38:47,115
and the request was there'd
be heavy prosthetics makeup.

700
00:38:47,116 --> 00:38:49,451
- [Narrator] Not only
was legendary director,

701
00:38:49,452 --> 00:38:51,077
George A. Romero, directing,

702
00:38:51,078 --> 00:38:53,788
but the production was
filled with top level talent

703
00:38:53,789 --> 00:38:55,790
both in front and
behind the camera.

704
00:38:55,791 --> 00:38:59,252
- I said, "Geez, I feel like
I'm in a George Romero movie."

705
00:38:59,253 --> 00:39:01,087
And the makeup
artist says to me,

706
00:39:01,088 --> 00:39:04,215
"Didn't you see George
standing out there?"

707
00:39:04,216 --> 00:39:06,134
The amazing thing
is the production,

708
00:39:06,135 --> 00:39:09,888
the call sheet listed the
director as I. Kambara,

709
00:39:09,889 --> 00:39:12,474
and that was a Japanese
artist, Tai Kambara,

710
00:39:12,475 --> 00:39:14,976
and Tai Kambara had
just passed away.

711
00:39:14,977 --> 00:39:18,229
And George Romero had
always skirted the unions.

712
00:39:18,230 --> 00:39:20,982
He always stayed away from
the DGA and everything.

713
00:39:20,983 --> 00:39:23,943
So what they did is George
Romero had a pseudonym

714
00:39:23,944 --> 00:39:25,570
to direct this commercial.

715
00:39:25,571 --> 00:39:27,238
We're at Lincoln Heights Jail.

716
00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:29,240
I remember when I pulled
up to Lincoln Heights,

717
00:39:29,241 --> 00:39:32,118
it said Raccoon City
Police Department

718
00:39:32,119 --> 00:39:34,120
and there was a zombie
leaning on the sign

719
00:39:34,121 --> 00:39:36,956
smoking a cigarette, which
was kind of the weird

720
00:39:36,957 --> 00:39:38,666
introduction to the world.

721
00:39:38,667 --> 00:39:40,251
They didn't call
it "Resident Evil,"

722
00:39:40,252 --> 00:39:41,920
they called it by
the Japanese title,

723
00:39:41,921 --> 00:39:44,464
which was "Project Biohazard 2."

724
00:39:44,465 --> 00:39:46,174
When Romero came towards us,

725
00:39:46,175 --> 00:39:49,511
Romero was in flip flops,
wearing an open collar shirt

726
00:39:49,512 --> 00:39:50,970
and baggy shorts.

727
00:39:50,971 --> 00:39:53,306
He was, he was not
dressed for October,

728
00:39:53,307 --> 00:39:55,767
the September/October
California weather.

729
00:39:55,768 --> 00:39:59,145
He was dressed like he was
going to the beach in June

730
00:39:59,146 --> 00:40:01,856
and I remember his
assistant was fretting,

731
00:40:01,857 --> 00:40:03,650
"George, can I get you a coat?"

732
00:40:03,651 --> 00:40:06,528
And he goes, "Nah, I'm
good! I love it, I love it."

733
00:40:06,529 --> 00:40:08,279
He goes, "If feels like-"

734
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:10,657
I think he said, "It feels
like August in Pittsburgh."

735
00:40:10,658 --> 00:40:12,367
He just looked so comfortable.

736
00:40:12,368 --> 00:40:14,869
He pointed out to several people
he had his lucky scarf on.

737
00:40:14,870 --> 00:40:16,871
- [Narrator] Brad Renfro
played Leon Kennedy,

738
00:40:16,872 --> 00:40:19,666
one of two protagonists
in "Resident Evil 2."

739
00:40:19,667 --> 00:40:22,836
Brad had a massive following
in Japan with teenagers,

740
00:40:22,837 --> 00:40:25,505
but his restrictive agreement
barred the commercial

741
00:40:25,506 --> 00:40:27,841
from being played outside Japan.

742
00:40:27,842 --> 00:40:30,051
Adrienne Frantz played
Claire Redfield,

743
00:40:30,052 --> 00:40:32,470
sister of the original
games, Chris Redfield,

744
00:40:32,471 --> 00:40:34,889
and the other
protagonist for the game.

745
00:40:34,890 --> 00:40:37,225
Peter Deming was the
director of photography,

746
00:40:37,226 --> 00:40:39,686
a cinematographer
on iconic films,

747
00:40:39,687 --> 00:40:41,855
"Evil Dead II" for Sam Raimi,

748
00:40:41,856 --> 00:40:43,690
"Lost Highway" for David Lynch.

749
00:40:43,691 --> 00:40:46,151
And "Scream 2" for Wes Craven.

750
00:40:46,152 --> 00:40:47,861
The makeup effects
were accomplished

751
00:40:47,862 --> 00:40:50,864
by veteran special effects
artist, Screaming Mad George,

752
00:40:50,865 --> 00:40:54,534
with prior work on films, "A
Nightmare on Elm Street 3,"

753
00:40:54,535 --> 00:40:56,911
"Predator," and "Bride
of the Re-Animator."

754
00:40:56,912 --> 00:40:59,164
- It was incredibly
fulfilling to work

755
00:40:59,165 --> 00:41:01,082
with a professional like
Screaming Mad George,

756
00:41:01,083 --> 00:41:03,084
and he was such a great artist,

757
00:41:03,085 --> 00:41:06,588
And just to see the day
to day work progression

758
00:41:06,589 --> 00:41:08,089
and the way it developed

759
00:41:08,090 --> 00:41:10,592
and to see how people
brainstormed ideas,

760
00:41:10,593 --> 00:41:13,720
I could tell he really wanted
to give it a different take

761
00:41:13,721 --> 00:41:15,221
on the traditional zombie movie.

762
00:41:15,222 --> 00:41:17,390
So as you can see down here,

763
00:41:17,391 --> 00:41:19,851
there's a lot of the
original prosthetics.

764
00:41:19,852 --> 00:41:22,520
And then this is
a shoulder piece

765
00:41:22,521 --> 00:41:25,773
that was for an
exposed shoulder.

766
00:41:25,774 --> 00:41:27,442
So a nice meaty looking piece.

767
00:41:27,443 --> 00:41:29,027
It would be right here and
then it would be revealed

768
00:41:29,028 --> 00:41:30,445
up from underneath clothes,

769
00:41:30,446 --> 00:41:32,238
maybe the shoulder
would be torn away.

770
00:41:32,239 --> 00:41:34,199
George really wanted to take
it to a different level,

771
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,202
especially since George Romero,
I understood at the time,

772
00:41:37,203 --> 00:41:38,953
was talking to
him about possibly

773
00:41:38,954 --> 00:41:40,622
having him work on the movie.

774
00:41:40,623 --> 00:41:42,957
- [Narrator] The heavy
levels of blood and gore

775
00:41:42,958 --> 00:41:45,251
that Screaming Mad
George was known for

776
00:41:45,252 --> 00:41:48,922
were explicitly prohibited for
the expected release format.

777
00:41:48,923 --> 00:41:51,966
Even still, the zombies had
their own unique appearance

778
00:41:51,967 --> 00:41:53,426
despite the restrictions.

779
00:41:53,427 --> 00:41:56,095
Dried blood, torn
clothing and patchy skin

780
00:41:56,096 --> 00:41:57,805
were still visually impressive,

781
00:41:57,806 --> 00:41:59,641
invoking the work of Tom Savini

782
00:41:59,642 --> 00:42:02,769
and Greg Nicotero's work
on "Day of the Dead."

783
00:42:02,770 --> 00:42:03,978
- I'm sitting in
the makeup chair

784
00:42:03,979 --> 00:42:06,731
and they couldn't show blood.

785
00:42:06,732 --> 00:42:10,568
They were using black
as a dried blood.

786
00:42:10,569 --> 00:42:13,613
And I said, "Hey, this
is a zombie thing.

787
00:42:13,614 --> 00:42:15,073
Why don't we have blood?"

788
00:42:15,074 --> 00:42:17,116
The Japanese company
that was doing it

789
00:42:17,117 --> 00:42:18,910
was a little leery about blood.

790
00:42:18,911 --> 00:42:22,080
They didn't want to emphasize
red blood in the commercial,

791
00:42:22,081 --> 00:42:24,290
so everything was fairly dark.

792
00:42:24,291 --> 00:42:27,335
It was more like we've
been in the grave a while.

793
00:42:27,336 --> 00:42:29,254
That's why the blood
would pool in our fingers

794
00:42:29,255 --> 00:42:31,005
and our fingers are black.

795
00:42:31,006 --> 00:42:32,465
- [Narrator] The scale of the
commercial led the production

796
00:42:32,466 --> 00:42:34,509
to film a "Making Of" feature.

797
00:42:34,510 --> 00:42:37,095
Japanese press were
brought to the LA set

798
00:42:37,096 --> 00:42:39,180
to interview the cast and crew.

799
00:42:39,181 --> 00:42:42,141
Perhaps due to Brad Renfro's
contract restrictions,

800
00:42:42,142 --> 00:42:44,978
non-Japanese journalists
were prohibited from the set

801
00:42:44,979 --> 00:42:48,606
except for a sole Canadian-born
journalist working in Japan.

802
00:42:48,607 --> 00:42:51,859
Norman England was
granted complete access
to the production

803
00:42:51,860 --> 00:42:53,653
and Romero was more than pleased

804
00:42:53,654 --> 00:42:55,989
to share his excitement
with the journalist

805
00:42:55,990 --> 00:42:57,448
about working on a project

806
00:42:57,449 --> 00:42:59,617
within the genre he
had helped create.

807
00:42:59,618 --> 00:43:03,037
- Capcom flew me
over to Hollywood

808
00:43:03,038 --> 00:43:05,623
to be involved with this shoot,

809
00:43:05,624 --> 00:43:08,293
and it was really
fantastic experience for me

810
00:43:08,294 --> 00:43:11,212
because I was not a part of
the film world at the time.

811
00:43:11,213 --> 00:43:13,506
I was very fascinated
by the film world.

812
00:43:13,507 --> 00:43:15,466
I was there for
all their meetings.

813
00:43:15,467 --> 00:43:19,679
We go over to Screaming Mad
George, big makeup artist.

814
00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:21,889
He worked on Carpenter
movies, whatever,

815
00:43:21,890 --> 00:43:24,309
so many Brian Yuzna films.

816
00:43:24,310 --> 00:43:25,893
They made two spots.

817
00:43:25,894 --> 00:43:28,479
They made a 15 second
spot and a 30 second spot

818
00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:31,399
I was told was a million
and a half dollars.

819
00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,067
And I asked George
that on the set,

820
00:43:33,068 --> 00:43:35,194
I said, "Tell me
about this budget."

821
00:43:35,195 --> 00:43:38,239
And he goes, "Well, it's
the most money I've ever had

822
00:43:38,240 --> 00:43:40,575
on a second per second basis."

823
00:43:40,576 --> 00:43:43,745
- Every makeup artist in
town came by to kiss the ring

824
00:43:43,746 --> 00:43:45,038
'cause George Romero was there.

825
00:43:45,039 --> 00:43:47,248
So it was a who's
who of Hollywood

826
00:43:47,249 --> 00:43:49,334
special effects
and makeup artist.

827
00:43:49,335 --> 00:43:51,502
Matt Rose, who did "Hellboy"

828
00:43:51,503 --> 00:43:55,882
brought 30 "Dawn of the Dead"
from every different country

829
00:43:55,883 --> 00:43:58,259
posters for George
Romero to sign.

830
00:43:58,260 --> 00:44:01,263
The KNB guys were
there to see George.

831
00:44:02,681 --> 00:44:06,100
As someone who knows every
one of these makeup artists,

832
00:44:06,101 --> 00:44:09,228
it was just really exciting
to watch them come one by one

833
00:44:09,229 --> 00:44:10,563
to pay tribute to the king.

834
00:44:10,564 --> 00:44:13,024
- We were done with
the commercial.

835
00:44:13,025 --> 00:44:15,735
George got his reel from Japan.

836
00:44:15,736 --> 00:44:18,696
He screened it for
quite a few employees

837
00:44:18,697 --> 00:44:20,239
on different occasions,

838
00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:23,785
and at one time he brought
out the commercial reel

839
00:44:23,786 --> 00:44:25,453
and we watched the short cut.

840
00:44:25,454 --> 00:44:27,622
There was a 15 second,
there was like a 30 second,

841
00:44:27,623 --> 00:44:29,540
and there was this two
minute long trailer.

842
00:44:29,541 --> 00:44:31,459
And then he said to us all,

843
00:44:31,460 --> 00:44:33,378
"Would you like to see
the long version of it?"

844
00:44:33,379 --> 00:44:35,797
And we were like, "Oh wow,
there's a longer version

845
00:44:35,798 --> 00:44:37,131
than the two minutes?"

846
00:44:37,132 --> 00:44:39,467
And he was like,
"Sure, watch this."

847
00:44:39,468 --> 00:44:42,553
And we watched this
basically a short film

848
00:44:42,554 --> 00:44:45,390
directed by George Romero
of "Resident Evil,"

849
00:44:45,391 --> 00:44:48,101
and I really believe
that was George Romero's

850
00:44:48,102 --> 00:44:50,269
and Screaming Mad
George's calling card

851
00:44:50,270 --> 00:44:52,105
to show that they could
do the feature film.

852
00:44:52,106 --> 00:44:53,773
- [Narrator] The
"Biohazard 2" commercial

853
00:44:53,774 --> 00:44:56,651
released in Japanese
theaters and on television

854
00:44:56,652 --> 00:44:59,737
with the "Making of
Biohazard 2" commercial

855
00:44:59,738 --> 00:45:02,740
available to rent on
VHS in Japan as well

856
00:45:02,741 --> 00:45:06,828
all ahead of the game's
release in January, 1998.

857
00:45:06,829 --> 00:45:07,995
(helicopter whirring overhead)

858
00:45:07,996 --> 00:45:10,498
(helicopter whirring overhead)

859
00:45:10,499 --> 00:45:12,500
- You could tell
he had misgivings

860
00:45:12,501 --> 00:45:15,169
about doing a zombie
project for someone else.

861
00:45:15,170 --> 00:45:18,506
I heard him say once
at least to the DP

862
00:45:18,507 --> 00:45:22,635
and two or three times just
observing to himself out loud,

863
00:45:22,636 --> 00:45:24,637
he goes, when he was
directing the zombies,

864
00:45:24,638 --> 00:45:27,807
he goes, "I really feel like
I'm ripping myself off here."

865
00:45:27,808 --> 00:45:29,475
And everybody on the
crew kept saying,

866
00:45:29,476 --> 00:45:31,310
"George is gonna direct
the movie version."

867
00:45:31,311 --> 00:45:33,813
And I remember three or four
hours into it I thought,

868
00:45:33,814 --> 00:45:35,440
"No, he's not."

869
00:45:35,441 --> 00:45:37,275
You could see he was
starting to have misgivings.

870
00:45:37,276 --> 00:45:38,693
He would set up a shot and go,

871
00:45:38,694 --> 00:45:40,487
"Boy, this really
feels familiar to me."

872
00:45:40,612 --> 00:45:42,864
- [Narrator] As part of its
North American campaign.

873
00:45:42,865 --> 00:45:44,824
Capcom USA added a special
contest for American fans;

874
00:45:44,825 --> 00:45:47,034
Capcom USA added a special
contest for American fans;

875
00:45:47,035 --> 00:45:49,872
a chance to win an appearance
in the upcoming film.

876
00:45:50,205 --> 00:45:52,707
- In my opinion, it
absolutely encapsulated

877
00:45:52,708 --> 00:45:55,209
what "Resident Evil"
was at the time,

878
00:45:55,210 --> 00:45:57,545
and it just made me
want a live action

879
00:45:57,546 --> 00:46:00,214
"Resident Evil" movie so bad.

880
00:46:00,215 --> 00:46:01,966
- [Narrator] While
considered a gamble,

881
00:46:01,967 --> 00:46:04,886
Capcom's marketing campaign
proved highly successful.

882
00:46:04,887 --> 00:46:08,473
"Resident Evil 2" released
to record breaking sales,

883
00:46:08,474 --> 00:46:10,850
selling almost 400,000 copies

884
00:46:10,851 --> 00:46:15,062
and earning more than $19
million within 72 hours.

885
00:46:15,063 --> 00:46:16,564
The game had broken the record

886
00:46:16,565 --> 00:46:18,900
held by previous best
selling video games,

887
00:46:18,901 --> 00:46:22,195
"Final Fantasy VII"
and "Super Mario 64,"

888
00:46:22,196 --> 00:46:26,407
and would go on to sell over
6 million copies worldwide.

889
00:46:26,408 --> 00:46:29,035
- "Biohazard 2"
right out of the gate

890
00:46:29,036 --> 00:46:30,495
outsold the original game,

891
00:46:30,496 --> 00:46:32,205
which was a tremendous
feat at the time.

892
00:46:32,206 --> 00:46:35,875
In Japan, it sold over a million
copies in its initial week,

893
00:46:35,876 --> 00:46:39,754
which at that time I
believe only two franchises

894
00:46:39,755 --> 00:46:43,174
in Japanese gaming had ever
done those kinds of numbers

895
00:46:43,175 --> 00:46:44,759
right outta the gate,

896
00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:46,677
and they were "Final
Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest."

897
00:46:46,720 --> 00:46:49,013
- [Narrator] The "Resident
Evil" franchise was born.

898
00:46:49,014 --> 00:46:52,517
And with hype surrounding
the series at a fever pitch,

899
00:46:52,518 --> 00:46:55,561
getting the film into
production was now the priority,

900
00:46:55,562 --> 00:46:58,898
and Capcom had their hopes
in the Godfather of the Dead

901
00:46:58,899 --> 00:47:00,859
to make that a reality.

902
00:47:02,027 --> 00:47:04,779
When Alan McElroy was
hired to adapt the game,

903
00:47:04,780 --> 00:47:07,198
"Resident Evil" was
only nine months old.

904
00:47:07,199 --> 00:47:10,451
Through the writing process,
a sequel had been released

905
00:47:10,452 --> 00:47:13,079
and rumors circulated
that Capcom now had

906
00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:15,414
multiple sequels in development.

907
00:47:15,415 --> 00:47:17,416
This didn't bode well
for the executives

908
00:47:17,417 --> 00:47:18,918
at Constantin Film,

909
00:47:18,919 --> 00:47:21,421
who quickly soured on
McElroy's screenplay.

910
00:47:29,429 --> 00:47:31,305
Capcom had the answer:

911
00:47:31,306 --> 00:47:33,307
Hire George Romero.

912
00:47:33,308 --> 00:47:36,769
Word of Romero's commercial
leaked across the early internet

913
00:47:36,770 --> 00:47:39,772
and rumors persisted he was
hired to direct the film.

914
00:47:39,773 --> 00:47:43,150
"Fangoria" reached out to
George Romero for clarification,

915
00:47:43,151 --> 00:47:45,653
but he would only comment
that he was interested.

916
00:47:45,654 --> 00:47:49,657
The comment ignited the
fans and rumors continued.

917
00:47:49,658 --> 00:47:52,827
Constantin Film announced
that Bernd Eichinger

918
00:47:52,828 --> 00:47:54,912
would serve as
Producer on the film.

919
00:47:54,913 --> 00:47:57,331
Eichinger, a renowned
German Producer

920
00:47:57,332 --> 00:47:59,917
and co-owner of Constantin Film,

921
00:47:59,918 --> 00:48:04,256
had recent success
with "Smilla's Sense
of Snow" in 1997.

922
00:48:04,673 --> 00:48:07,967
In June, 1998,
PSM leaked details

923
00:48:07,968 --> 00:48:10,970
from a revised draft
by Alan McElroy

924
00:48:10,971 --> 00:48:13,764
dated January 22nd, 1998.

925
00:48:13,765 --> 00:48:16,642
This would be the only time
information from the script

926
00:48:16,643 --> 00:48:18,436
was made available
to the public.

927
00:48:18,437 --> 00:48:20,354
While excited to
share the leaks,

928
00:48:20,355 --> 00:48:22,690
unknown to the magazine
or its readers,

929
00:48:22,691 --> 00:48:25,861
McElroy's scripts had
already been rejected.

930
00:48:25,986 --> 00:48:27,195
[Rombie speaking]

931
00:53:43,470 --> 00:53:45,429
- [Narrator] In July, 1998,

932
00:53:45,430 --> 00:53:47,640
George Romero ended speculation

933
00:53:47,641 --> 00:53:50,517
in an exclusive interview
with DVD Review.

934
00:53:50,518 --> 00:53:52,978
During the Video
Software Dealers Expo,

935
00:53:52,979 --> 00:53:55,314
Romero confirmed he
had signed an agreement

936
00:53:55,315 --> 00:53:58,025
only the week prior
to write and direct

937
00:53:58,026 --> 00:53:59,819
the "Resident Evil" film.

938
00:54:04,616 --> 00:54:07,327
(low growling)

939
00:54:12,165 --> 00:54:15,876
The truth is, Romero had taken
months to negotiate a deal

940
00:54:15,877 --> 00:54:17,211
and make a decision.

941
00:54:17,212 --> 00:54:20,005
At some point prior
to July, 1998,

942
00:54:20,006 --> 00:54:22,800
the decision was made
to drop Alan McElroy

943
00:54:22,801 --> 00:54:25,302
and Romero took
over writing duties.

944
00:54:25,303 --> 00:54:27,012
- Back in the late
'90s and early 2000s.

945
00:54:27,013 --> 00:54:30,015
HomepageOfTheDead.com
was the absolute best

946
00:54:30,016 --> 00:54:32,059
message board for
anything George Romero.

947
00:54:32,060 --> 00:54:33,852
That's where I spent
a lot of my time

948
00:54:33,853 --> 00:54:36,230
and I remember reading
a lot of posts that,

949
00:54:36,231 --> 00:54:37,898
"Hey, George is making
'Resident Evil'."

950
00:54:37,899 --> 00:54:40,985
And I'm like, "Okay,
I'm down for that."

951
00:54:40,986 --> 00:54:44,655
The rumor mill at the
time on that internet,

952
00:54:44,656 --> 00:54:46,073
it wasn't very rampant.

953
00:54:46,074 --> 00:54:47,741
You got one or two
bits of information

954
00:54:47,742 --> 00:54:49,868
and you kind of hung
on that for a while.

955
00:54:49,869 --> 00:54:51,996
In a way, that,
"Oh, George tackling

956
00:54:51,997 --> 00:54:53,497
one of my favorite video games?

957
00:54:53,498 --> 00:54:55,207
How could this not be a win-win?

958
00:54:55,208 --> 00:54:57,544
How is this not going
to be a blockbuster?"

959
00:54:58,086 --> 00:55:00,380
- [Narrator speaking]

960
00:55:16,688 --> 00:55:19,940
- Coming off of the
excitement I had

961
00:55:19,941 --> 00:55:22,359
of the "Resident Evil
2" live action trailer,

962
00:55:22,360 --> 00:55:24,278
at that time, there was
nothing more I wanted

963
00:55:24,279 --> 00:55:26,071
than a live action
"Resident Evil" movie.

964
00:55:26,072 --> 00:55:28,699
When it was first
announced, I was so excited.

965
00:55:28,700 --> 00:55:31,911
- [Narrator speaking]

966
00:55:47,302 --> 00:55:48,886
- And the Capcom
people themselves,

967
00:55:48,887 --> 00:55:51,597
I mean, they were
very, very happy

968
00:55:51,598 --> 00:55:53,432
to have George on the film.

969
00:55:53,433 --> 00:55:58,145
And they didn't hide the fact
that "Biohazard" the games

970
00:55:58,146 --> 00:56:01,982
were inspired directly
by George Romero's films.

971
00:56:01,983 --> 00:56:05,069
If they didn't exist, there
would be no "Biohazard."

972
00:56:05,070 --> 00:56:08,573
- [Narrator speaking]

973
00:56:22,587 --> 00:56:26,131
During online chat sessions,
Romero divulged to fans

974
00:56:26,132 --> 00:56:29,176
that certain elements from the
game were planned to change

975
00:56:29,177 --> 00:56:32,013
and explained his process
for writing the screenplay.

976
00:57:14,222 --> 00:57:16,056
- But it really
does sort of follow.

977
00:57:16,057 --> 00:57:19,017
It's much more like
horror and action script

978
00:57:19,018 --> 00:57:20,811
than I think than
we see in the film

979
00:57:20,812 --> 00:57:22,396
that was originally released.

980
00:57:22,397 --> 00:57:25,692
- [Narrator speaking]

981
00:57:52,927 --> 00:57:54,553
In a six week period,

982
00:57:54,554 --> 00:57:57,056
Romero, along with his
Producer, Peter Grunwald,

983
00:57:57,265 --> 00:57:59,683
had written an initial
10 page treatment

984
00:57:59,684 --> 00:58:01,351
and three drafts of the script

985
00:58:01,352 --> 00:58:04,856
dated September 29th,
October 5th, and October 7th.

986
00:58:05,064 --> 00:58:06,273
- And so we see the treatment

987
00:58:06,274 --> 00:58:08,567
and then we have sort
of three scripts.

988
00:58:08,568 --> 00:58:10,444
They're very congested
in their timeframe.

989
00:58:10,445 --> 00:58:13,739
So he wrote this
treatment in August of '98

990
00:58:13,740 --> 00:58:18,076
with a full script in September
of '98, September 29th,

991
00:58:18,077 --> 00:58:20,621
and then we see October
5th and October 7th

992
00:58:20,622 --> 00:58:22,080
is the revision drafts.

993
00:58:22,081 --> 00:58:23,248
- [Narrator] Throughout
the writing period,

994
00:58:23,249 --> 00:58:25,209
the story remained unchanged,

995
00:58:25,210 --> 00:58:28,462
though a variety of minor
alterations and edits occurred.

996
00:58:28,463 --> 00:58:31,590
- The variances between the
scripts is pretty scant.

997
00:58:31,591 --> 00:58:33,592
There are not a
whole lot of editing.

998
00:58:33,593 --> 00:58:36,386
Here's an example
of the minor edit

999
00:58:36,387 --> 00:58:39,640
from the October 5th to
the October 7th draft,

1000
00:58:39,641 --> 00:58:41,099
where even just something simple

1001
00:58:41,100 --> 00:58:42,893
where there's just
a change in dialogue

1002
00:58:42,894 --> 00:58:44,978
to say from a Scud to Stinger.

1003
00:58:44,979 --> 00:58:46,605
So I do think that
October 7th one

1004
00:58:46,606 --> 00:58:49,566
really is the final one
that got handed over.

1005
00:58:49,567 --> 00:58:52,402
Even the October 5th one
just has minor edits,

1006
00:58:52,403 --> 00:58:55,239
mostly about dialogue
and some grammar

1007
00:58:55,240 --> 00:58:57,449
that were cleaned up
for the October 7th one.

1008
00:58:57,450 --> 00:58:59,159
And so that feels like
the most polished one

1009
00:58:59,160 --> 00:59:00,661
that was handed off.

1010
00:59:00,662 --> 00:59:02,454
The other big piece
of it that was edited

1011
00:59:02,455 --> 00:59:05,290
out of that last final one
is it's the only version

1012
00:59:05,291 --> 00:59:07,793
in which there is
no note in the end

1013
00:59:07,794 --> 00:59:10,796
for a title card of, "Coming
soon, Resident Evil 2."

1014
00:59:10,797 --> 00:59:12,297
It just, the screen goes black.

1015
00:59:12,298 --> 00:59:14,299
The treatment and all of
the other two versions

1016
00:59:14,300 --> 00:59:17,636
promote and advertise that there
will be a "Resident Evil 2"

1017
00:59:17,637 --> 00:59:20,013
kind of right off the bat, that
we're gonna get a franchise.

1018
00:59:20,014 --> 00:59:21,640
- [Narrator] George
contacted friend

1019
00:59:21,641 --> 00:59:24,351
and special effects
artist, Greg Nicotero

1020
00:59:24,352 --> 00:59:27,020
if his company KNB
FX could provide

1021
00:59:27,021 --> 00:59:28,647
these special
effects for the film.

1022
00:59:28,648 --> 00:59:31,692
Of concern was the game's
climactic boss monster,

1023
00:59:31,693 --> 00:59:33,151
the Tyrant.

1024
00:59:33,152 --> 00:59:35,445
Nicotero contacted
legendary horror artist,

1025
00:59:35,446 --> 00:59:37,990
Bernie Wrightson, known for
his work on "Swamp Thing,"

1026
00:59:37,991 --> 00:59:41,034
"Cycle of the Werewolf," and
the comic book adaptation

1027
00:59:41,035 --> 00:59:42,494
of George Romero's "Creepshow"

1028
00:59:42,495 --> 00:59:45,372
and commissioned him
to sketch designs.

1029
00:59:45,373 --> 00:59:49,001
- My dad's collaboration
with George Romero

1030
00:59:49,002 --> 00:59:52,838
essentially began with a call
that came from Stephen King,

1031
00:59:52,839 --> 00:59:54,381
whom I believe he had already

1032
00:59:54,382 --> 00:59:56,842
had a working
relationship for then

1033
00:59:56,843 --> 00:59:58,051
on "Cycle of the Werewolf."

1034
00:59:58,052 --> 00:59:59,386
Stephen was a fan of my dad's

1035
00:59:59,387 --> 01:00:02,723
and obviously my
dad a fan of his.

1036
01:00:02,724 --> 01:00:06,226
He got the call about this
project explaining like,

1037
01:00:06,227 --> 01:00:08,353
"George Romero and I
are basically doing

1038
01:00:08,354 --> 01:00:12,316
our rendition of an EC
Comic horror anthology.

1039
01:00:12,317 --> 01:00:14,026
Would you be interested in doing

1040
01:00:14,027 --> 01:00:17,696
the actual comic book tie-in
that goes with the movie?"

1041
01:00:17,697 --> 01:00:19,698
So of course he was interested.

1042
01:00:19,699 --> 01:00:22,367
This would've been
about '98 or '99,

1043
01:00:22,368 --> 01:00:26,204
he got his first phone call
from the guys at KNB FX

1044
01:00:26,205 --> 01:00:28,707
for this untitled Kevin
Williamson project

1045
01:00:28,708 --> 01:00:30,917
that Robert Rodriguez
was gonna direct,

1046
01:00:30,918 --> 01:00:32,544
which ended up
becoming "The Faculty."

1047
01:00:32,545 --> 01:00:36,423
From my understanding, Greg
Nicotero read the script

1048
01:00:36,424 --> 01:00:38,925
and read this giant
sea creature alien

1049
01:00:38,926 --> 01:00:41,053
that they had to build for
it and thought to himself,

1050
01:00:41,054 --> 01:00:44,848
"We need a Bernie Wrightson
creature for this project."

1051
01:00:44,849 --> 01:00:47,684
And so they contacted
him out of the blue,

1052
01:00:47,685 --> 01:00:49,436
approached him
about this project.

1053
01:00:49,437 --> 01:00:51,229
He was still living in New
York state at this point

1054
01:00:51,230 --> 01:00:53,190
and yeah, was basically
doing his illustrations

1055
01:00:53,191 --> 01:00:54,900
and sending them via fax.

1056
01:00:54,901 --> 01:00:57,736
At this point, he had
already been planning,

1057
01:00:57,737 --> 01:01:00,614
at least in his mind, the
idea of transitioning away

1058
01:01:00,615 --> 01:01:04,117
from doing predominantly
comic book artwork

1059
01:01:04,118 --> 01:01:05,619
and trying to get more creature

1060
01:01:05,620 --> 01:01:07,412
and character design
work for film.

1061
01:01:07,413 --> 01:01:10,916
So after "The Faculty,"
he was prompted

1062
01:01:10,917 --> 01:01:14,378
to basically move from New
York state to Los Angeles

1063
01:01:14,379 --> 01:01:17,422
to further his prospects
working in film.

1064
01:01:17,423 --> 01:01:20,592
Contacted Greg about
any follow-up projects,

1065
01:01:20,593 --> 01:01:23,261
and that's how he got
involved with "Resident Evil."

1066
01:01:23,262 --> 01:01:25,305
He's like, "Yeah, George
Romero is gonna be

1067
01:01:25,306 --> 01:01:28,141
directing this adaptation
of this video game."

1068
01:01:28,142 --> 01:01:29,643
Is he familiar with it?

1069
01:01:29,644 --> 01:01:33,563
Not really, but he knows
what to to go off of.

1070
01:01:33,564 --> 01:01:36,316
And so that's how he came about

1071
01:01:36,317 --> 01:01:38,819
doing the character
design for the Tyrant,

1072
01:01:38,820 --> 01:01:41,154
which to my understanding
is the only character

1073
01:01:41,155 --> 01:01:42,615
that he was designing.

1074
01:01:42,990 --> 01:01:45,117
- [Narrator] After
multiple revisions,

1075
01:01:45,118 --> 01:01:46,827
Romero submitted
his first draft.

1076
01:01:46,828 --> 01:01:50,331
Now he would wait for
Constantin Film's approval.

1077
01:01:51,791 --> 01:01:55,293
The February, 1999 issue of
"Electronic Gaming Monthly"

1078
01:01:55,294 --> 01:01:57,129
published an extensive
four page interview

1079
01:01:57,130 --> 01:02:00,340
with George Romero, though
the actual interview within

1080
01:02:00,341 --> 01:02:01,967
had been conducted
months earlier.

1081
01:02:01,968 --> 01:02:04,803
While the interview left
fans excited for the film,

1082
01:02:04,804 --> 01:02:07,472
the EGM article
marks the final time

1083
01:02:07,473 --> 01:02:10,642
George Romero remained
positive about "Resident Evil."

1084
01:02:10,643 --> 01:02:13,478
In May, 1999,
Gamespot interviewed

1085
01:02:13,479 --> 01:02:16,648
senior Capcom producer,
Yoshiki Okamoto.

1086
01:02:16,649 --> 01:02:19,819
[Narrator speaking]

1087
01:02:42,383 --> 01:02:45,720
And with that statement,
all hell broke loose.

1088
01:02:46,971 --> 01:02:48,346
Rumors circulated.

1089
01:02:48,347 --> 01:02:50,557
PSX.IGN threw
gasoline on the fire

1090
01:02:50,558 --> 01:02:53,394
with an unverified story
from an unknown source

1091
01:02:53,644 --> 01:02:56,396
that in retrospect sounded
more like a smear campaign

1092
01:02:56,397 --> 01:02:57,814
against the director.

1093
01:02:57,815 --> 01:03:00,860
[Narrator speaking]

1094
01:03:12,830 --> 01:03:16,166
- I was very aware and
actually I'd been contacted

1095
01:03:16,167 --> 01:03:18,210
by George's assistant.

1096
01:03:18,211 --> 01:03:19,711
"We're planning to come to Japan

1097
01:03:19,712 --> 01:03:21,546
and George really wants
to meet up with you,"

1098
01:03:21,547 --> 01:03:23,381
and I was very happy about that.

1099
01:03:23,382 --> 01:03:26,051
And then suddenly the
plug was pulled on this

1100
01:03:26,052 --> 01:03:29,763
and it was very disheartening
that they would do that.

1101
01:03:29,764 --> 01:03:31,264
- [Narrator] George
Romero moved on

1102
01:03:31,265 --> 01:03:33,266
to prep his next film "Bruiser,"

1103
01:03:33,267 --> 01:03:35,393
but any chance fans had to ask

1104
01:03:35,394 --> 01:03:37,103
about the "Resident Evil" movie,

1105
01:03:37,104 --> 01:03:38,773
George was just as confused.

1106
01:03:39,232 --> 01:03:41,067
[Narrator speaking]

1107
01:03:41,901 --> 01:03:43,736
[Narrator speaking]

1108
01:04:12,473 --> 01:04:15,141
Between May and September, 1999,

1109
01:04:15,142 --> 01:04:18,478
Constantin Film had either
failed to inform Romero

1110
01:04:18,479 --> 01:04:20,272
he had been fired,

1111
01:04:20,273 --> 01:04:23,066
or were retaining him until
his replacement was secured.

1112
01:04:23,067 --> 01:04:26,152
Websites, news articles,
and fan speculation

1113
01:04:26,153 --> 01:04:27,654
continued to spread rumors

1114
01:04:27,655 --> 01:04:30,115
that Romero was indeed
still attached to direct

1115
01:04:30,116 --> 01:04:31,741
and confusion continued.

1116
01:04:31,742 --> 01:04:33,995
[Narrator speaking]

1117
01:05:00,438 --> 01:05:02,022
The months gave way to rumors

1118
01:05:02,023 --> 01:05:04,649
of new writers and directors
attached to the film,

1119
01:05:04,650 --> 01:05:08,153
but still no official statement
for Romero's termination

1120
01:05:08,154 --> 01:05:10,322
and no update on
the film itself.

1121
01:05:10,323 --> 01:05:12,032
Would there even be a movie?

1122
01:05:12,033 --> 01:05:14,868
After more than a year of
speculation and rumors,

1123
01:05:14,869 --> 01:05:17,329
Variety reported
that Constantine Film

1124
01:05:17,330 --> 01:05:20,206
had found its new writer and
director of "Mortal Kombat,"

1125
01:05:20,207 --> 01:05:23,668
"Event Horizon," and
"Soldier," Paul W.S. Anderson

1126
01:05:23,669 --> 01:05:25,629
had signed with Constantine Film

1127
01:05:25,630 --> 01:05:28,341
to write and direct the
"Resident Evil" movie.

1128
01:05:55,076 --> 01:05:57,410
- [Narrator] The plot
synopsis caused revolt

1129
01:05:57,411 --> 01:05:59,537
among fans of the series.

1130
01:05:59,538 --> 01:06:01,707
[Narrator speaking]

1131
01:06:28,776 --> 01:06:30,443
- [Narrator] Anderson previously
pursued the film rights

1132
01:06:30,444 --> 01:06:32,904
after playing the video
games, but discovered

1133
01:06:32,905 --> 01:06:35,740
Constantin had already
purchased them years prior.

1134
01:06:35,741 --> 01:06:38,952
Not to be dissuaded, Anderson
wrote an original treatment,

1135
01:06:38,953 --> 01:06:40,453
dubbed "The Undead."

1136
01:06:40,454 --> 01:06:42,455
If Constantin Film passed on it,

1137
01:06:42,456 --> 01:06:45,125
he planned to shop the
project to other studios

1138
01:06:45,126 --> 01:06:46,876
as an original zombie film.

1139
01:06:46,877 --> 01:06:49,879
Unknown to the public
or Paul Anderson,

1140
01:06:49,880 --> 01:06:52,298
years of development on
the "Resident Evil" movie

1141
01:06:52,299 --> 01:06:53,591
had taken its toll.

1142
01:06:53,592 --> 01:06:55,135
The rights were set to expire

1143
01:06:55,136 --> 01:06:58,555
and Constantin Film prepared
to abandon the project.

1144
01:06:58,556 --> 01:07:00,056
Anderson pitched "The Undead"

1145
01:07:00,057 --> 01:07:02,600
and asked French
producer Samuel Hadida

1146
01:07:02,601 --> 01:07:04,602
to pay for the
renewal of the rights.

1147
01:07:04,603 --> 01:07:06,438
Eichinger loved the concept

1148
01:07:06,439 --> 01:07:08,815
and hired Anderson
to write and direct.

1149
01:07:08,816 --> 01:07:11,277
[Narrator speaking]

1150
01:07:32,256 --> 01:07:33,840
After the announcement,

1151
01:07:33,841 --> 01:07:36,468
a leaked casting call
revealed most of the plot

1152
01:07:36,469 --> 01:07:38,178
through its character
descriptions,

1153
01:07:38,179 --> 01:07:41,598
confirming the script would
indeed be an original story.

1154
01:07:41,599 --> 01:07:43,975
Fans became confused
and irritated

1155
01:07:43,976 --> 01:07:46,811
at the idea of a film
based on "Resident Evil,"

1156
01:07:46,812 --> 01:07:49,773
lacking few connections
to the actual games.

1157
01:07:49,774 --> 01:07:51,192
- [Rombie speaking]

1158
01:08:25,684 --> 01:08:28,229
- [Narrator speaking]

1159
01:09:04,098 --> 01:09:05,933
- [Rombie speaking]

1160
01:09:19,904 --> 01:09:21,906
- [Narrator] Following
Anderson's announcement,

1161
01:09:21,907 --> 01:09:23,575
a review of George
Romero's screenplay

1162
01:09:23,576 --> 01:09:26,118
appeared on the website,
Ain't It Cool News.

1163
01:09:26,120 --> 01:09:27,955
- [Rombie speaking]

1164
01:12:34,767 --> 01:12:36,142
- The characters themselves

1165
01:12:36,143 --> 01:12:38,102
are actually the
characters from the game.

1166
01:12:38,103 --> 01:12:40,063
So we see Jill and Chris as
being the main characters,

1167
01:12:40,064 --> 01:12:42,106
we have Wesker as the
sort of main villain,

1168
01:12:42,107 --> 01:12:45,068
none of which find their
way into the Anderson film.

1169
01:12:45,069 --> 01:12:47,320
And it does feel a little
bit more like a game.

1170
01:12:47,321 --> 01:12:49,239
- [Rombie speaking]

1171
01:13:18,352 --> 01:13:21,938
- The social commentary
in it is the sort of,

1172
01:13:21,939 --> 01:13:23,356
both the military group

1173
01:13:23,357 --> 01:13:25,108
and of course the
Umbrella corporation

1174
01:13:25,109 --> 01:13:26,526
are not to be trusted,

1175
01:13:26,527 --> 01:13:30,655
that they created
a bio warfare thing

1176
01:13:30,656 --> 01:13:33,825
that was immediately
gonna be used for ill.

1177
01:13:33,826 --> 01:13:37,120
(dramatic music)
(loud gunfire)

1178
01:13:37,121 --> 01:13:38,496
(low growl)
(loud explosion)

1179
01:13:38,497 --> 01:13:40,206
That there was no
capacity for them

1180
01:13:40,207 --> 01:13:42,125
to have made these experiments

1181
01:13:42,126 --> 01:13:44,043
and have done something
that could be used

1182
01:13:44,044 --> 01:13:45,711
in any positive way.

1183
01:13:45,712 --> 01:13:48,172
And in particular when the
military got their hands on it,

1184
01:13:48,173 --> 01:13:50,007
that it would absolutely be used

1185
01:13:50,008 --> 01:13:53,177
for its worst possible way
in weapons and warfare.

1186
01:13:53,178 --> 01:13:55,346
And so I think that
directly comes from the game

1187
01:13:55,347 --> 01:13:58,724
to an extent, but I think as
also part of Romero kind of,

1188
01:13:58,725 --> 01:14:01,144
if we kind of go back and
look at some of the commentary

1189
01:14:01,145 --> 01:14:02,854
that we see in
"Day of the Dead,"

1190
01:14:02,855 --> 01:14:05,857
is this sort of critique
of over militarization,

1191
01:14:05,858 --> 01:14:08,901
this sort of melding between
the military and politics

1192
01:14:08,902 --> 01:14:12,572
and corporations sort of have
this sort of fascist theology

1193
01:14:12,573 --> 01:14:15,408
that we see kind of emergent,
and I think that he sees

1194
01:14:15,409 --> 01:14:17,827
that this is another
story to tell that;

1195
01:14:17,828 --> 01:14:21,539
that ultimately when a new
weapon is going to be developed,

1196
01:14:21,540 --> 01:14:26,085
we can't really trust it not
to be used for maximum harm,

1197
01:14:26,086 --> 01:14:28,921
that it wouldn't be used
in a way that's defensive,

1198
01:14:28,922 --> 01:14:30,715
but it would be used in
a way that's offensive

1199
01:14:30,716 --> 01:14:32,884
and would immediately
get out of control.

1200
01:14:32,885 --> 01:14:35,761
I think that some of the other
ways that things were changed

1201
01:14:35,762 --> 01:14:38,097
about whether characters
were in the military or not

1202
01:14:38,098 --> 01:14:40,266
I think were done
to dramatic effect

1203
01:14:40,267 --> 01:14:42,435
to kind of compel the
story a little bit more.

1204
01:14:42,436 --> 01:14:44,729
It gave an interaction
between Chris and Jill

1205
01:14:44,730 --> 01:14:46,355
that's very different.

1206
01:14:46,356 --> 01:14:48,274
They're lovers, they don't
know entirely how much

1207
01:14:48,275 --> 01:14:50,067
they can trust
about one another,

1208
01:14:50,068 --> 01:14:52,403
so it kind of leads to
this dramatic interaction

1209
01:14:52,404 --> 01:14:54,363
between the two of them
as it moves forward.

1210
01:14:54,364 --> 01:14:57,575
But I think really it's just
that Wesker is that sort of,

1211
01:14:57,576 --> 01:15:01,204
embodies all of this critique,
that he's lying to everybody,

1212
01:15:01,205 --> 01:15:02,955
he's leading them all
on a false mission

1213
01:15:02,956 --> 01:15:05,291
just so he can monetize

1214
01:15:05,292 --> 01:15:09,253
and ultimately exploit
these these weapons.

1215
01:15:09,254 --> 01:15:11,255
And I think that that
kind of goes, again,

1216
01:15:11,256 --> 01:15:13,799
that people just aren't
going to be able to get along

1217
01:15:13,800 --> 01:15:15,384
with one another when needed.

1218
01:15:15,385 --> 01:15:18,471
Rather, they're gonna just
further the apocalypse.

1219
01:15:18,472 --> 01:15:20,933
- [Rombie speaking]

1220
01:18:06,640 --> 01:18:09,935
[Rombie speaking]

1221
01:20:45,131 --> 01:20:48,217
- It has a lot more in
common with the game

1222
01:20:48,218 --> 01:20:50,261
than the Anderson film does.

1223
01:20:50,262 --> 01:20:52,972
I think there's also a lot more
Easter eggs in this probably

1224
01:20:52,973 --> 01:20:54,974
that are better for
fans of the game,

1225
01:20:54,975 --> 01:20:56,642
like the zombie sharks.

1226
01:20:56,643 --> 01:20:58,477
There's a couple of scenes
where the character's like,

1227
01:20:58,478 --> 01:21:00,145
"Oh, I can't open that door."

1228
01:21:00,146 --> 01:21:02,106
And the person's like,
"Well, I have the green key.

1229
01:21:02,107 --> 01:21:03,649
You just have the blue one,
so I can get through this."

1230
01:21:03,650 --> 01:21:04,984
Which feels very
much like video games

1231
01:21:04,985 --> 01:21:06,819
where you have to wander around

1232
01:21:06,820 --> 01:21:08,904
and go find the
different colored keys
or items or whatever

1233
01:21:08,905 --> 01:21:11,115
to open different
passages through the game.

1234
01:21:11,116 --> 01:21:13,076
- [Rombie speaking]

1235
01:22:25,148 --> 01:22:27,232
George Romero
was a pioneer in his field,

1236
01:22:27,233 --> 01:22:30,736
not just in horror movies,
but in horror pop culture.

1237
01:22:30,737 --> 01:22:33,989
Having him involved in
the series so early on

1238
01:22:33,990 --> 01:22:36,033
I think would've had
the potential for him

1239
01:22:36,034 --> 01:22:38,744
to leave a blueprint
that could have been

1240
01:22:38,745 --> 01:22:42,873
a massive presence in video
game to movie adaptations.

1241
01:22:42,874 --> 01:22:45,542
- I think that a lot of
times he wrote these sort of

1242
01:22:45,543 --> 01:22:48,045
longer treatments to kind
of get out of his head

1243
01:22:48,046 --> 01:22:49,588
the story he wanted to tell,

1244
01:22:49,589 --> 01:22:51,423
particularly with
an original idea.

1245
01:22:51,424 --> 01:22:53,008
Just get all this out

1246
01:22:53,009 --> 01:22:55,844
and then maybe start to
fit it into a script form,

1247
01:22:55,845 --> 01:22:58,013
start to think about how
it can be dramatized,

1248
01:22:58,014 --> 01:23:00,224
how you can kind of
fit it into scenes

1249
01:23:00,225 --> 01:23:04,103
and sort of do this so it's
not told in the prose style.

1250
01:23:04,104 --> 01:23:06,230
And many of his first
drafts are a little rough.

1251
01:23:06,231 --> 01:23:09,566
They're good and usually
just need sort of that work

1252
01:23:09,567 --> 01:23:11,068
because I think it
is just sort of,

1253
01:23:11,069 --> 01:23:13,237
he has an idea and he
needs to get it out.

1254
01:23:13,238 --> 01:23:14,905
I think "Resident Evil,"

1255
01:23:14,906 --> 01:23:18,409
there's very little substantive
edits between the drafts.

1256
01:23:18,410 --> 01:23:21,036
It's some dialogue
that's fairly minor,

1257
01:23:21,037 --> 01:23:24,289
it is changing around
a couple of scenes

1258
01:23:24,290 --> 01:23:27,459
or sort of the progression
of how something happens

1259
01:23:27,460 --> 01:23:30,421
as they go between maybe one
level of the lab to another.

1260
01:23:30,422 --> 01:23:32,464
The only real
significant differences

1261
01:23:32,465 --> 01:23:34,466
is kind of about some
of the foreshadowing,

1262
01:23:34,467 --> 01:23:38,721
about the BOW bio
weapons and the Tyrant.

1263
01:23:38,722 --> 01:23:40,431
The first draft has
some allusions to it

1264
01:23:40,432 --> 01:23:43,600
that kind of foreshadow or give
away what these things are,

1265
01:23:43,601 --> 01:23:45,602
and then those are
sort of omitted later

1266
01:23:45,603 --> 01:23:47,938
to sort propel that
there's more suspense,

1267
01:23:47,939 --> 01:23:49,314
you don't really
know what's going on,

1268
01:23:49,315 --> 01:23:50,649
you're following the story

1269
01:23:50,650 --> 01:23:52,234
and getting the
info revealed to you

1270
01:23:52,235 --> 01:23:54,278
as the characters are also
having that information

1271
01:23:54,279 --> 01:23:55,988
revealed to them.

1272
01:23:55,989 --> 01:23:57,489
I mean, I think you would be
surprised to find any filmmaker

1273
01:23:57,490 --> 01:23:58,657
that writes one
draft of something

1274
01:23:58,658 --> 01:24:00,159
and then they're done with it

1275
01:24:00,160 --> 01:24:01,952
- [Narrator] A year later,

1276
01:24:01,953 --> 01:24:04,788
website Resident Evil: A New
Blood transcribed the entirety

1277
01:24:04,789 --> 01:24:06,915
of George Romero's
October 7th draft

1278
01:24:06,916 --> 01:24:09,752
after months of circulation
within private groups.

1279
01:24:09,753 --> 01:24:11,962
Fan reactions remained divided.

1280
01:24:11,963 --> 01:24:14,339
- I remember reading
it in a PDF format,

1281
01:24:14,340 --> 01:24:17,176
scrolling all the pages,

1282
01:24:17,177 --> 01:24:19,762
sitting on the computer
screen, reading it.

1283
01:24:19,763 --> 01:24:23,516
And I kept thinking, "This
would be an amazing movie. Why?

1284
01:24:24,976 --> 01:24:26,977
We love the video
game. We love George.

1285
01:24:26,978 --> 01:24:29,521
George is the master
of the zombies.

1286
01:24:29,522 --> 01:24:30,981
How did we not get this?"

1287
01:24:30,982 --> 01:24:33,025
And ultimately, I think
it's one of the biggest

1288
01:24:33,026 --> 01:24:36,445
missed opportunities in the
last 20, 30 years of movies

1289
01:24:36,446 --> 01:24:39,114
that we didn't get a George
Romero "Resident Evil" movie.

1290
01:24:39,115 --> 01:24:40,699
- [Narrator] After
more than five years

1291
01:24:40,700 --> 01:24:42,034
since its announcement,

1292
01:24:42,035 --> 01:24:44,536
"Resident Evil"
starring Milla Jovovich

1293
01:24:44,537 --> 01:24:45,996
and Michelle Rodriguez

1294
01:24:45,997 --> 01:24:48,957
released in theaters
on March 12th, 2002,

1295
01:24:48,958 --> 01:24:51,877
earning more than
$100 million worldwide

1296
01:24:51,878 --> 01:24:54,338
off an estimated
$30 million budget.

1297
01:24:54,339 --> 01:24:57,341
Critical and fan reception
remained mixed however,

1298
01:24:57,342 --> 01:25:00,719
and with each new sequel, the
same question would be asked:

1299
01:25:00,720 --> 01:25:02,721
Would George Romero's
vision for the film

1300
01:25:02,722 --> 01:25:05,808
have been better than the
film we ultimately received?

1301
01:25:05,809 --> 01:25:07,851
- I went to the theater
the day it released.

1302
01:25:07,852 --> 01:25:09,478
I could not wait to see it.

1303
01:25:09,479 --> 01:25:12,356
And I remember the
excitement I had

1304
01:25:12,357 --> 01:25:14,066
kept me going through that film,

1305
01:25:14,067 --> 01:25:15,901
but I just remember there
was scenes where I was like,

1306
01:25:15,902 --> 01:25:18,737
"Where's more zombies?
Where's this from the games?

1307
01:25:18,738 --> 01:25:20,405
Where's that from the games?"

1308
01:25:20,406 --> 01:25:22,574
And I was young and I didn't
understand at the time

1309
01:25:22,575 --> 01:25:25,077
that they were trying
to do a retelling of it.

1310
01:25:25,078 --> 01:25:27,871
And I think for the
most part, they did

1311
01:25:27,872 --> 01:25:31,083
a well job with the first
"Resident Evil" movie,

1312
01:25:31,084 --> 01:25:33,919
but there was a
part of me that just

1313
01:25:33,920 --> 01:25:36,171
was a little disappointed
that we didn't get to see

1314
01:25:36,172 --> 01:25:38,173
a lot of the things that
we'd seen in the games.

1315
01:25:38,174 --> 01:25:40,008
A lot of the creatures that
we'd seen in the games.

1316
01:25:40,009 --> 01:25:42,845
And I was excited, I enjoyed it,

1317
01:25:42,846 --> 01:25:45,931
but I was a little disappointed.

1318
01:25:45,932 --> 01:25:48,268
- [Narrator speaking]

1319
01:26:09,622 --> 01:26:11,415
Romero further explained

1320
01:26:11,416 --> 01:26:14,126
that while he seemed to connect
with Producer Robert Kulzer,

1321
01:26:14,127 --> 01:26:16,753
his frustrations were
with Bernd Eichinger.

1322
01:26:16,754 --> 01:26:18,213
[Narrator speaking]

1323
01:26:18,214 --> 01:26:19,924
but I don't think
they knew what it was.

1324
01:26:35,231 --> 01:26:37,316
- It is an extremely
gory script,

1325
01:26:37,317 --> 01:26:38,775
an extremely violent script.

1326
01:26:38,776 --> 01:26:43,280
And Romero is noted,
fair and unfairly,

1327
01:26:43,281 --> 01:26:45,949
for having that kind
of throughout his work.

1328
01:26:45,950 --> 01:26:48,118
I think because of the way
some of the gore was employed

1329
01:26:48,119 --> 01:26:49,912
in "Dawn of the Dead"
or "Day of the Dead,"

1330
01:26:49,913 --> 01:26:53,665
it doesn't feel very gory,
it feels campy almost.

1331
01:26:53,666 --> 01:26:55,626
But there's so
much more going on.

1332
01:26:55,627 --> 01:26:57,669
There's a lot of
great zombie gore.

1333
01:26:57,670 --> 01:26:59,421
He had great special
effects teams of course

1334
01:26:59,422 --> 01:27:01,840
with Savini and Nicotero
that we see this stuff,

1335
01:27:01,841 --> 01:27:06,178
but this film just
feels so much more gory,

1336
01:27:06,179 --> 01:27:09,181
so much more violent,
and so much more angry.

1337
01:27:09,182 --> 01:27:11,516
And I don't know if
it's because he felt

1338
01:27:11,517 --> 01:27:12,809
that was the source material,

1339
01:27:12,810 --> 01:27:14,269
I don't know if it
was just sort of

1340
01:27:14,270 --> 01:27:16,146
where he was at in
his head in the '90s

1341
01:27:16,147 --> 01:27:17,814
and at this time that
he was writing that,

1342
01:27:17,815 --> 01:27:19,691
that this is sort
of what came out.

1343
01:27:19,692 --> 01:27:21,319
- [Narrator speaking]

1344
01:27:39,963 --> 01:27:41,964
but not a big event movie."

1345
01:27:41,965 --> 01:27:43,715
From Constantin's perspective,

1346
01:27:43,716 --> 01:27:46,551
the extreme violence and
gore in Romero's script

1347
01:27:46,552 --> 01:27:49,012
left Producers struggling
how to market a film

1348
01:27:49,013 --> 01:27:52,015
they envisioned as an event
film for a wider audience.

1349
01:27:52,016 --> 01:27:53,684
- I think this was
another reason maybe

1350
01:27:53,685 --> 01:27:55,519
that we didn't see
this come to fruition

1351
01:27:55,520 --> 01:27:58,689
was that the '90s were fairly
conservative in a lot of ways,

1352
01:27:58,690 --> 01:28:00,065
and I think this
would've been a film

1353
01:28:00,066 --> 01:28:02,526
that would've been
rated NC-17 or R,

1354
01:28:02,527 --> 01:28:05,862
and we already had a few NC-17
films come out in the '90s

1355
01:28:05,863 --> 01:28:08,365
that were absolute
bombs at the box office

1356
01:28:08,366 --> 01:28:09,992
'cause not enough people
could go see them.

1357
01:28:09,993 --> 01:28:11,493
Horror fans love
to go see an R film

1358
01:28:11,494 --> 01:28:13,161
'cause we know it's
gonna be really gory,

1359
01:28:13,162 --> 01:28:15,497
but the studios
wanted kids to come in

1360
01:28:15,498 --> 01:28:19,167
and they wanted that demographic
of 13 to 18 buying tickets.

1361
01:28:19,168 --> 01:28:20,753
- [Narrator speaking]

1362
01:28:25,258 --> 01:28:27,175
(person screaming)
(zombie groaning)

1363
01:28:27,176 --> 01:28:29,594
(gunshot fires)
(loud screaming)

1364
01:28:29,595 --> 01:28:33,765
(flesh ripping)
(pained screaming)

1365
01:28:33,766 --> 01:28:35,058
(person groans)
(blood splattering)

1366
01:28:35,059 --> 01:28:40,273
(loud gunfire)
(flesh ripping)

1367
01:28:43,234 --> 01:28:44,776
(person groans)

1368
01:28:44,777 --> 01:28:46,611
- It probably wasn't gonna be
right for that time period.

1369
01:28:46,612 --> 01:28:49,239
It was not going to be
able to be widely released

1370
01:28:49,240 --> 01:28:50,949
in theaters with
the level of gore

1371
01:28:50,950 --> 01:28:52,909
that was gonna be
required for it.

1372
01:28:52,910 --> 01:28:54,578
- [Narrator] If Eichinger stance

1373
01:28:54,579 --> 01:28:57,205
wasn't made explicitly
clear, he further elaborated

1374
01:28:57,206 --> 01:29:00,125
when he was interviewed by
German digital magazine,

1375
01:29:00,126 --> 01:29:03,128
Spiegel Online, when
the movie released.

1376
01:29:03,129 --> 01:29:04,797
[Narrator speaking]

1377
01:30:15,701 --> 01:30:19,454
- It's a mean-spirited market

1378
01:30:19,455 --> 01:30:21,373
that is mostly
controlled by people

1379
01:30:21,374 --> 01:30:23,500
still that have no
affection or affinity

1380
01:30:23,501 --> 01:30:26,378
for not only this genre,
but for movies in general.

1381
01:30:26,379 --> 01:30:28,964
They think that when they
give you their million

1382
01:30:28,965 --> 01:30:30,507
that they're buying you.

1383
01:30:30,508 --> 01:30:33,802
- I guess you could
say it was so upsetting

1384
01:30:33,803 --> 01:30:38,557
that you have the godfather
of the zombie horror genre,

1385
01:30:38,558 --> 01:30:43,520
the person who inspired
the "Resident Evil" series

1386
01:30:43,521 --> 01:30:46,898
lined up to make a movie who
has already proven himself

1387
01:30:46,899 --> 01:30:48,233
countless times with his films,

1388
01:30:48,234 --> 01:30:50,652
with the "Resident
Evil 2" trailer,

1389
01:30:50,653 --> 01:30:52,487
this guy knew "Resident Evil."

1390
01:30:52,488 --> 01:30:54,239
So when I found out
he wrote the script

1391
01:30:54,240 --> 01:30:58,326
and it never came to be,
it was very upsetting.

1392
01:30:58,327 --> 01:31:01,038
(somber music)

1393
01:31:04,500 --> 01:31:05,500
- No!

1394
01:31:06,419 --> 01:31:08,086
- I feel like if
anybody was going to do

1395
01:31:08,087 --> 01:31:10,589
the "Resident Evil"
Series justice,

1396
01:31:10,590 --> 01:31:12,340
it would've been George Romero.

1397
01:31:12,341 --> 01:31:15,093
Again, he's the godfather
of the zombie horror genre.

1398
01:31:15,094 --> 01:31:18,180
- Romero's kind of
famously had bad luck,

1399
01:31:18,181 --> 01:31:19,556
I hate to say it.

1400
01:31:19,557 --> 01:31:22,058
He's been unlucky
in a lot of ways.

1401
01:31:22,059 --> 01:31:24,060
He's very independently minded.

1402
01:31:24,061 --> 01:31:27,439
He doesn't like to
deal with nonsense.

1403
01:31:27,440 --> 01:31:30,775
He has a very low
tolerance for nonsense.

1404
01:31:30,776 --> 01:31:33,904
And in Hollywood
has got a very huge,

1405
01:31:33,905 --> 01:31:35,405
thick layer of nonsense.

1406
01:31:35,406 --> 01:31:37,908
So the most successful
directors in Hollywood

1407
01:31:37,909 --> 01:31:40,076
are the one that
can manage that,

1408
01:31:40,077 --> 01:31:42,621
and George just was not
that type of person.

1409
01:31:42,622 --> 01:31:45,624
He would not sell his soul
just to get a film done.

1410
01:31:45,625 --> 01:31:48,376
- He understood how
zombies should behave.

1411
01:31:48,377 --> 01:31:50,253
He understood storytelling.

1412
01:31:50,254 --> 01:31:53,131
He understood all of
the fear and terror

1413
01:31:53,132 --> 01:31:56,593
and tension that "Resident
Evil" is known for.

1414
01:31:56,594 --> 01:31:59,221
So no better guy to do
it than George A. Romero.

1415
01:31:59,222 --> 01:32:01,389
- So we have a
treatment, a September,

1416
01:32:01,390 --> 01:32:03,141
and two October
drafts in the archive.

1417
01:32:03,142 --> 01:32:05,101
Whether anything
else was ever written

1418
01:32:05,102 --> 01:32:06,645
is a little hard to say,

1419
01:32:06,646 --> 01:32:09,773
but one thing that the
archive does very well

1420
01:32:09,774 --> 01:32:11,650
is document his
creative history.

1421
01:32:11,651 --> 01:32:14,653
There are huge gaps in
production histories,

1422
01:32:14,654 --> 01:32:18,281
but his writing is
very well documented

1423
01:32:18,282 --> 01:32:21,493
And so I think that we can say
that this is what he wrote,

1424
01:32:21,494 --> 01:32:24,329
that there aren't missing
drafts and missing versions.

1425
01:32:24,330 --> 01:32:26,456
So I do think that we
can confidently say

1426
01:32:26,457 --> 01:32:30,335
that he really worked on this
for a little over a month.

1427
01:32:30,336 --> 01:32:32,337
- [Narrator] Bernd
Eichinger personal campaign

1428
01:32:32,338 --> 01:32:34,339
against extreme
violence and gore

1429
01:32:34,340 --> 01:32:36,466
conflicted with George
Romero's passion

1430
01:32:36,467 --> 01:32:38,593
to match the tone
of the video game.

1431
01:32:38,594 --> 01:32:42,639
This creative dispute resulted
in George's dismissal.

1432
01:32:42,640 --> 01:32:44,432
Perhaps the biggest
crime of all,

1433
01:32:44,433 --> 01:32:47,143
the "Resident Evil" film
resulted in a renaissance

1434
01:32:47,144 --> 01:32:48,603
of the zombie horror genre

1435
01:32:48,604 --> 01:32:51,106
with hundreds of new
zombie movies released,

1436
01:32:51,107 --> 01:32:53,149
while the Godfather
of the Dead himself

1437
01:32:53,150 --> 01:32:56,528
became less relevant as
the new millennium wore on.

1438
01:32:56,529 --> 01:32:59,281
(contemplative music)

1439
01:32:59,282 --> 01:33:02,867
Is it no wonder his later films
failed to garner attention

1440
01:33:02,868 --> 01:33:04,661
when the industry was already

1441
01:33:04,662 --> 01:33:06,538
oversaturated with zombie media?

1442
01:33:06,539 --> 01:33:09,165
Romero would return to
the series he created

1443
01:33:09,166 --> 01:33:10,959
with his long and
development sequel

1444
01:33:10,960 --> 01:33:13,545
"Land of the Dead" in 2005.

1445
01:33:13,546 --> 01:33:15,380
Romero directed
two more entries,

1446
01:33:15,381 --> 01:33:17,507
"Diary of the Dead" in 2007

1447
01:33:17,508 --> 01:33:20,010
and "Survival of
the Dead" in 2009.

1448
01:33:20,011 --> 01:33:23,389
[Narrator speaking]

1449
01:33:50,207 --> 01:33:52,751
- He was later in
life a little bitter

1450
01:33:52,752 --> 01:33:55,712
about the course that
his career had taken.

1451
01:33:55,713 --> 01:34:00,216
But personal note, I mean, I
really respect his life choices

1452
01:34:00,217 --> 01:34:04,095
and the way he really
stuck to his guns.

1453
01:34:04,096 --> 01:34:06,222
- [Narrator] By then,
Capcom already felt

1454
01:34:06,223 --> 01:34:08,058
zombies were a tired trope

1455
01:34:08,059 --> 01:34:10,018
and sought to
reinvigorate the series

1456
01:34:10,019 --> 01:34:13,438
with new horrific creatures
to keep players returning.

1457
01:34:13,439 --> 01:34:17,734
"Resident Evil 4" released in
2005 to overwhelming praise

1458
01:34:17,735 --> 01:34:20,779
with sales exceeding 12
million copies worldwide.

1459
01:34:20,780 --> 01:34:24,115
The series shifted focus
to action horror gameplay

1460
01:34:24,116 --> 01:34:25,909
until returning
entirely to horror

1461
01:34:25,910 --> 01:34:29,621
with the release of
"Resident Evil 7" in 2017

1462
01:34:29,622 --> 01:34:33,458
and "Village: Resident
Evil 8" in 2021.

1463
01:34:33,459 --> 01:34:37,295
Combined, the two games
sold over 19 million copies.

1464
01:34:37,296 --> 01:34:40,256
Capcom also remade older
entries in its series

1465
01:34:40,257 --> 01:34:42,926
with updated gameplay
for modern audiences.

1466
01:34:42,927 --> 01:34:46,096
In the past decade, "Resident
Evil" games averaged

1467
01:34:46,097 --> 01:34:48,098
10 million copies
sold per release.

1468
01:34:48,099 --> 01:34:52,268
Capcom's survival
horror franchise had
never been stronger.

1469
01:34:52,269 --> 01:34:55,105
Constantin Films
released six films

1470
01:34:55,106 --> 01:34:56,981
with Paul W.S. Anderson,

1471
01:34:56,982 --> 01:35:01,152
with combined box
office earnings over
$1 billion worldwide.

1472
01:35:01,153 --> 01:35:03,405
Constantin rebooted
the film series

1473
01:35:03,406 --> 01:35:05,782
with "Resident Evil:
Welcome to Raccoon City"

1474
01:35:05,783 --> 01:35:09,452
directed by Johannes
Roberts released in 2021

1475
01:35:09,453 --> 01:35:12,330
to underwhelming
reviews and box office.

1476
01:35:12,331 --> 01:35:14,999
In Netflix's series simply
called "Resident Evil"

1477
01:35:15,000 --> 01:35:16,501
released the following year

1478
01:35:16,502 --> 01:35:18,586
received far better with
critics and audiences,

1479
01:35:18,587 --> 01:35:21,297
Netflix canceled a TV
series a month later.

1480
01:35:21,298 --> 01:35:23,675
Rumors persist of a new
film in development.

1481
01:35:23,676 --> 01:35:26,177
- The movies are always
going to be unique

1482
01:35:26,178 --> 01:35:29,472
in that they're based
on the video game

1483
01:35:29,473 --> 01:35:33,685
that was inherently based on
movies, or a genre of movies.

1484
01:35:33,686 --> 01:35:36,146
And there's always going to
be a logistical challenge

1485
01:35:36,147 --> 01:35:39,524
and a creative challenge to
replicate the kind of impact

1486
01:35:39,525 --> 01:35:42,026
that movies and TV
series aspire to have,

1487
01:35:42,027 --> 01:35:47,491
but without any of the cliches
or the the shortcomings

1488
01:35:48,492 --> 01:35:49,826
or the differences
for that matter

1489
01:35:49,827 --> 01:35:51,494
that video games
bring to the table.

1490
01:35:51,495 --> 01:35:53,663
So I don't think there
has been a perfect

1491
01:35:53,664 --> 01:35:58,543
rendition of "Biohazard" on
movie theaters or TV screens,

1492
01:35:58,544 --> 01:36:03,214
but I'm enthusiastic that if
they can find the right talent

1493
01:36:03,215 --> 01:36:05,550
and they can see
more recent examples

1494
01:36:05,551 --> 01:36:07,552
of successful video game movies,

1495
01:36:07,553 --> 01:36:11,181
also more recent just
horror movies in general,

1496
01:36:11,182 --> 01:36:12,557
I think if they
can focus on that

1497
01:36:12,558 --> 01:36:14,893
we can definitely see a good

1498
01:36:14,894 --> 01:36:18,521
"Biohazard" live action
interpretation in our lifetime.

1499
01:36:18,522 --> 01:36:20,565
- [Narrator] As the
21st Century wore on

1500
01:36:20,566 --> 01:36:24,027
and hundreds of zombie
films consumed by audiences,

1501
01:36:24,028 --> 01:36:26,404
one fact became
absolutely clear;

1502
01:36:26,405 --> 01:36:28,740
every single one were
indebted to the work

1503
01:36:28,741 --> 01:36:31,409
of Image Ten and
George A. Romero.

1504
01:36:31,410 --> 01:36:33,536
- What do you think
about these offshoots

1505
01:36:33,537 --> 01:36:36,539
or tributes or ripoffs
of the Dead movies,

1506
01:36:36,540 --> 01:36:37,916
specifically "Return
of the Living Dead,"

1507
01:36:37,917 --> 01:36:39,876
and of course now
"The Walking Dead?"

1508
01:36:39,877 --> 01:36:41,169
(audience chuckles)

1509
01:36:41,170 --> 01:36:43,046
- In four words,
it pisses me off.

1510
01:36:43,047 --> 01:36:45,256
(audience laughing)

1511
01:36:45,257 --> 01:36:47,550
(audience applauding)

1512
01:36:47,551 --> 01:36:49,385
- And I'm sure it seemed like
an easy idea at the time,

1513
01:36:49,386 --> 01:36:51,262
but it changed the world.

1514
01:36:51,263 --> 01:36:53,056
"Walking Dead," I mean,
there's zombie emojis

1515
01:36:53,057 --> 01:36:54,265
on your phone now!

1516
01:36:54,266 --> 01:36:56,768
Why? George, Jack, Russ.

1517
01:36:56,769 --> 01:36:57,769
Those three guys.

1518
01:36:58,896 --> 01:37:01,439
- [Narrator] In 2009,
Spike TV's Scream Awards

1519
01:37:01,440 --> 01:37:04,275
honored George Romero
with the Mastermind Award

1520
01:37:04,276 --> 01:37:06,569
given by director
Quentin Tarantino.

1521
01:37:06,570 --> 01:37:09,614
During his speech,
Tarantino stated that the A

1522
01:37:09,615 --> 01:37:12,075
in George A. Romero stood for...

1523
01:37:12,076 --> 01:37:14,285
- A (beep) genius!

1524
01:37:14,286 --> 01:37:16,079
(audience cheering)

1525
01:37:16,080 --> 01:37:20,083
- He was someone that every
time you would tell him,

1526
01:37:20,084 --> 01:37:21,961
"Your movies changed my life,"

1527
01:37:23,128 --> 01:37:25,588
you could hear the man
just blush and just-

1528
01:37:25,589 --> 01:37:27,757
And he would say, "Oh, I
don't know about that."

1529
01:37:27,758 --> 01:37:30,301
- [Narrator] Despite his age,
Romero remained productive

1530
01:37:30,302 --> 01:37:32,053
with attempts to adapt the novel

1531
01:37:32,054 --> 01:37:33,930
"The Zombie Autopsies" to film,

1532
01:37:33,931 --> 01:37:36,391
a seventh entry of his
"Living Dead" series

1533
01:37:36,392 --> 01:37:37,934
called "Road of the Dead,"

1534
01:37:37,935 --> 01:37:40,603
and began work on a
novel set in his universe

1535
01:37:40,604 --> 01:37:42,063
called "The Living Dead."

1536
01:37:42,064 --> 01:37:44,733
Romero would never
finish these projects.

1537
01:37:46,151 --> 01:37:50,613
- When I saw George, this was
in March of 2017, as I recall,

1538
01:37:50,614 --> 01:37:52,950
maybe April, somewhere
in the spring.

1539
01:37:54,243 --> 01:37:55,994
And I walked up to his table,

1540
01:37:55,995 --> 01:38:01,500
and when I saw him, a part
of my brain kind of panicked

1541
01:38:02,334 --> 01:38:03,501
because he would
look very frail.

1542
01:38:03,502 --> 01:38:05,753
Very gaunt, very frail.

1543
01:38:05,754 --> 01:38:08,423
And that was, I'd never
seen him quite like that.

1544
01:38:08,424 --> 01:38:09,507
And it was just-

1545
01:38:09,508 --> 01:38:11,009
But that part, it was like,

1546
01:38:11,010 --> 01:38:13,511
it's like the guys from
that movie "Inside Out,"

1547
01:38:13,512 --> 01:38:15,930
one guy noticed it and
the other guys told him

1548
01:38:15,931 --> 01:38:17,307
to shut the hell up.

1549
01:38:17,308 --> 01:38:18,474
"No, don't even look.

1550
01:38:18,475 --> 01:38:20,018
Don't even think about that."

1551
01:38:20,019 --> 01:38:21,352
So I noticed it, but I went,

1552
01:38:21,353 --> 01:38:23,146
"Nope, not gonna
think about this.

1553
01:38:23,147 --> 01:38:24,772
Nope, not gonna
think about this."

1554
01:38:24,773 --> 01:38:27,692
But he was still just as
warm and engaging as ever.

1555
01:38:27,693 --> 01:38:29,944
And we went out to
dinner later that night

1556
01:38:29,945 --> 01:38:32,530
with his wife Suz, and we
were just shooting the shit

1557
01:38:32,531 --> 01:38:35,283
about the news and
politics or whatever,

1558
01:38:35,284 --> 01:38:37,328
hardly talked about
movies at all.

1559
01:38:38,537 --> 01:38:41,539
And then we drove him back
over across the street

1560
01:38:41,540 --> 01:38:44,667
to his hotel, and he
got out and I said,

1561
01:38:44,668 --> 01:38:46,044
"George, I'll see you around.

1562
01:38:46,045 --> 01:38:47,545
I'll see you at the next one."

1563
01:38:47,546 --> 01:38:49,381
And he just turned and
he went, "All right."

1564
01:38:50,382 --> 01:38:52,133
And that was the
last time I saw him.

1565
01:38:52,134 --> 01:38:56,722
- I grabbed my phone and I
was scrolling through Twitter

1566
01:38:58,140 --> 01:39:01,142
and I saw a tweet
from a friend of mine

1567
01:39:01,143 --> 01:39:05,397
that had said he had
heard that George passed.

1568
01:39:08,025 --> 01:39:10,526
And I kind of stopped
because in this day and age,

1569
01:39:10,527 --> 01:39:12,029
you see that stuff.

1570
01:39:13,197 --> 01:39:16,408
And I kept scrolling
and I saw another one.

1571
01:39:18,702 --> 01:39:21,663
And at this point I
started to get worried.

1572
01:39:21,664 --> 01:39:26,752
So I picked up the phone
and I texted his manager,

1573
01:39:27,920 --> 01:39:31,048
and I just remember
putting, "Is it true?"

1574
01:39:33,175 --> 01:39:34,885
And he replied, "Yeah,"

1575
01:39:35,886 --> 01:39:38,012
- I get a phone
call from a friend,

1576
01:39:38,013 --> 01:39:40,556
and she goes, "Did
you hear yet?"

1577
01:39:40,557 --> 01:39:43,434
And I was like, "No, what
are you talking about?"

1578
01:39:43,435 --> 01:39:47,105
She goes, "George
Romero's dead."

1579
01:39:47,106 --> 01:39:48,357
And I went, "Nah."

1580
01:39:48,941 --> 01:39:49,941
And...

1581
01:39:49,942 --> 01:39:52,945
(George choking up)

1582
01:39:54,238 --> 01:39:57,616
Yeah, so then I looked it up

1583
01:39:58,784 --> 01:40:01,077
and I saw this article
and that article,

1584
01:40:01,078 --> 01:40:02,913
and George was dead.

1585
01:40:03,872 --> 01:40:06,625
And I sat on my
bed and I sobbed.

1586
01:40:08,961 --> 01:40:10,462
I fucking sobbed.

1587
01:40:11,755 --> 01:40:13,464
- When I heard that
George Romero passed away,

1588
01:40:13,465 --> 01:40:15,384
there was a profound sadness

1589
01:40:16,760 --> 01:40:21,473
because it seemed like a lot
of the joy, the camaraderie,

1590
01:40:22,933 --> 01:40:25,810
and the unity that he brought
to the filmmaking community,

1591
01:40:25,811 --> 01:40:28,480
and all of the actors and crew,

1592
01:40:29,732 --> 01:40:33,651
everybody involved in his
films had felt together.

1593
01:40:33,652 --> 01:40:35,987
And it just felt like there
was going to be a loss.

1594
01:40:35,988 --> 01:40:38,574
And maybe that would
just kind of...

1595
01:40:39,950 --> 01:40:44,455
I hoped not, but I kind of
thought maybe it would diminish.

1596
01:40:47,166 --> 01:40:50,251
- [Narrator] On July 16th, 2017,

1597
01:40:50,252 --> 01:40:53,921
George Andrew Romero
passed away in his sleep

1598
01:40:53,922 --> 01:40:56,257
after a battle with lung cancer.

1599
01:40:56,258 --> 01:41:01,262
His wife Suz Romero and his
daughter Tina were by his side

1600
01:41:01,263 --> 01:41:02,764
all while listening to the score

1601
01:41:02,765 --> 01:41:06,185
of one of his favorite
films, "The Quiet Man."

1602
01:41:08,145 --> 01:41:11,481
The outpouring of grief
and loss was worldwide,

1603
01:41:11,482 --> 01:41:13,024
not just from friends, family,

1604
01:41:13,025 --> 01:41:15,026
and people that
worked with George,

1605
01:41:15,027 --> 01:41:17,987
but also from the
wider film community.

1606
01:41:17,988 --> 01:41:21,200
- When Variety talked
about his passing,

1607
01:41:22,534 --> 01:41:26,037
I knew my circle of people
knew who George Romero was.

1608
01:41:26,038 --> 01:41:28,331
I knew the horror fans
knew who George Romero was.

1609
01:41:28,332 --> 01:41:32,627
I knew Fangoria, he was
a god in Fangoria, right?

1610
01:41:32,628 --> 01:41:36,339
But the outside world,
the real filmmakers,

1611
01:41:36,340 --> 01:41:38,966
the Academy Awards and stuff?

1612
01:41:38,967 --> 01:41:41,344
Variety knows who
George Romero is,

1613
01:41:41,345 --> 01:41:46,850
and a big piece on George
and how he was so great

1614
01:41:47,976 --> 01:41:51,354
and talented and
amazing, you know?

1615
01:41:51,355 --> 01:41:56,026
And it's just like, "Holy
hell. He wasn't just George."

1616
01:41:57,402 --> 01:41:59,362
He was George fucking Romero.

1617
01:41:59,363 --> 01:42:01,531
- [Narrator] Three
months after his passing,

1618
01:42:01,532 --> 01:42:04,909
George Romero was added to
the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1619
01:42:04,910 --> 01:42:08,246
His widow, Suz, accepted
the star on his behalf

1620
01:42:08,247 --> 01:42:11,582
with guest speakers Edgar
Wright, Greg Nicotero,

1621
01:42:11,583 --> 01:42:13,669
and Malcolm McDowell present.

1622
01:42:15,045 --> 01:42:19,049
- You wake up the next day
and you start thinking like,

1623
01:42:20,050 --> 01:42:22,426
"Okay, he's not
here. What do we do?"

1624
01:42:22,427 --> 01:42:23,886
'Cause George was always here,

1625
01:42:23,887 --> 01:42:26,514
George was always
gonna give an interview

1626
01:42:26,515 --> 01:42:28,266
or he was gonna be
at the next show

1627
01:42:28,267 --> 01:42:31,687
and we were gonna talk to him
about what he was working on.

1628
01:42:32,896 --> 01:42:35,606
And we didn't have him anymore.

1629
01:42:35,607 --> 01:42:37,275
- [Narrator] Suz Romero founded

1630
01:42:37,276 --> 01:42:40,194
the George A. Romero
Foundation the following year,

1631
01:42:40,195 --> 01:42:41,529
citing a responsibility

1632
01:42:41,530 --> 01:42:43,948
to not only preserve
George's legacy,

1633
01:42:43,949 --> 01:42:47,034
but also celebrate pioneers
in the film industry

1634
01:42:47,035 --> 01:42:50,079
and inspire a new
generation of filmmakers.

1635
01:42:50,080 --> 01:42:52,583
- The way she tells
it is sort of on,

1636
01:42:53,959 --> 01:42:56,795
as he was beginning to fade,
towards the end of his life,

1637
01:42:57,796 --> 01:42:59,714
she said to him,
"How do you feel?

1638
01:42:59,715 --> 01:43:01,382
How do you feel
about your legacy

1639
01:43:01,383 --> 01:43:03,259
and the films that you've
made, this body of work?"

1640
01:43:03,260 --> 01:43:05,970
And he said, "Eh,
nobody gives a shit."

1641
01:43:05,971 --> 01:43:07,930
She said, "What are
you talking about?

1642
01:43:07,931 --> 01:43:09,432
You have millions of people
that love you and your moves."

1643
01:43:09,433 --> 01:43:11,142
He says, "Yeah, but..."

1644
01:43:11,143 --> 01:43:13,770
I guess he didn't really feel
validated as a filmmaker.

1645
01:43:15,147 --> 01:43:17,648
Suzanne was determined after
he passed to prove him wrong.

1646
01:43:17,649 --> 01:43:19,108
She said, "I'm
just gonna show you

1647
01:43:19,109 --> 01:43:21,819
that you are in fact
a worthy filmmaker

1648
01:43:21,820 --> 01:43:23,321
worthy of being remembered."

1649
01:43:23,322 --> 01:43:25,281
Of course, he made his
mark on movie history,

1650
01:43:25,282 --> 01:43:27,950
but he never felt validated
as a real filmmaker,

1651
01:43:27,951 --> 01:43:30,453
even though the stories were
coming out that he had now,

1652
01:43:30,454 --> 01:43:31,996
he and Scorsese had been renting

1653
01:43:31,997 --> 01:43:34,957
the same print of
"Tales of Hoffmann."

1654
01:43:34,958 --> 01:43:36,500
Some kid from Brooklyn
rented it out!

1655
01:43:36,501 --> 01:43:37,835
And the kid from Brooklyn says,

1656
01:43:37,836 --> 01:43:39,128
"Who the hell's got this now?"

1657
01:43:39,129 --> 01:43:40,838
Some kid from the
Bronx rented it.

1658
01:43:40,839 --> 01:43:42,173
Never met, but they were renting

1659
01:43:42,174 --> 01:43:43,925
the same movie
from this archive.

1660
01:43:43,926 --> 01:43:45,343
- And I think they do
a lot of great work

1661
01:43:45,344 --> 01:43:47,845
of trying to help figure
out how to inspire

1662
01:43:47,846 --> 01:43:49,639
the next generation
of filmmakers.

1663
01:43:49,640 --> 01:43:52,099
- [Narrator] As an initiative
to preserve George's work,

1664
01:43:52,100 --> 01:43:54,477
the George A. Romero
Archives was created

1665
01:43:54,478 --> 01:43:57,688
at the Hillman Library within
the University of Pittsburgh.

1666
01:43:57,689 --> 01:44:00,858
- The Romero Archive
is quite large,

1667
01:44:00,859 --> 01:44:02,860
a little over a hundred
boxes of material,

1668
01:44:02,861 --> 01:44:04,695
and most of this is paper.

1669
01:44:04,696 --> 01:44:06,364
So when you think
about boxes of paper,

1670
01:44:06,365 --> 01:44:07,990
that's a lot of material.

1671
01:44:07,991 --> 01:44:11,452
It's really a testament
of his creative history.

1672
01:44:11,453 --> 01:44:14,830
He did struggle, and that he
did wasn't always successful.

1673
01:44:14,831 --> 01:44:16,374
And I don't think that
that's a critique.

1674
01:44:16,375 --> 01:44:18,042
I think that that's instructive.

1675
01:44:18,043 --> 01:44:20,711
That he is considered
one of the greatest

1676
01:44:20,712 --> 01:44:22,713
horror filmmakers of all time,

1677
01:44:22,714 --> 01:44:25,841
he's had this mass of influence.

1678
01:44:25,842 --> 01:44:29,011
He's always hailed among
these biggest directors,

1679
01:44:29,012 --> 01:44:30,846
most important
directors in horror,

1680
01:44:30,847 --> 01:44:33,557
and yet he didn't get
everything he ever wanted made.

1681
01:44:33,558 --> 01:44:37,895
And I think that's good for
aspiring writers and filmmakers

1682
01:44:37,896 --> 01:44:39,355
to understand and to see,

1683
01:44:39,356 --> 01:44:41,065
that just because
you wrote something

1684
01:44:41,066 --> 01:44:42,733
and you sent it off
and it got rejected,

1685
01:44:42,734 --> 01:44:44,902
doesn't mean you're not
going to be successful.

1686
01:44:44,903 --> 01:44:46,404
You'll just have to keep trying.

1687
01:44:46,405 --> 01:44:48,364
- [Narrator] And hosted
at the Monroeville Mall

1688
01:44:48,365 --> 01:44:51,659
where "Dawn of the Dead" was
filmed nearly 50 years ago,

1689
01:44:51,660 --> 01:44:53,828
Living Dead Weekend
honors the work

1690
01:44:53,829 --> 01:44:56,038
and legacy of zombie cinema,

1691
01:44:56,039 --> 01:44:58,249
primarily the films
of George Romero.

1692
01:44:58,250 --> 01:45:00,418
Each year, thousands
travel to the mall

1693
01:45:00,419 --> 01:45:02,420
to meet the cast and
crew of his films,

1694
01:45:02,421 --> 01:45:06,716
partake in guest panels,
and tour filming locations.

1695
01:45:06,717 --> 01:45:09,343
On July 4th, 2021,

1696
01:45:09,344 --> 01:45:12,096
the Monroeville Mall
held a special ceremony

1697
01:45:12,097 --> 01:45:14,598
in what was once the
Clock Tower Court

1698
01:45:14,599 --> 01:45:16,851
and renamed it Romero Court

1699
01:45:16,852 --> 01:45:20,271
with a bust crafted by
Christian Stavrakis.

1700
01:45:20,272 --> 01:45:23,357
George A. Romero's legacy
continues to live on

1701
01:45:23,358 --> 01:45:25,526
through a foundation
that honors his legacy,

1702
01:45:25,527 --> 01:45:28,237
through millions of fans
that celebrate his work,

1703
01:45:28,238 --> 01:45:30,948
and through those that
still love and miss him.

1704
01:45:30,949 --> 01:45:34,243
- George's films
literally changed

1705
01:45:34,244 --> 01:45:36,954
the face of horror
as we know it.

1706
01:45:36,955 --> 01:45:39,290
- Romero is a legend.

1707
01:45:39,291 --> 01:45:40,624
We miss him.

1708
01:45:40,625 --> 01:45:42,877
What he did for
zombies, for horror,

1709
01:45:42,878 --> 01:45:46,547
and for film in general,
he'll never be forgotten.

1710
01:45:46,548 --> 01:45:48,591
- There's so much more
that he wanted to tell us.

1711
01:45:48,592 --> 01:45:50,092
There's so many more stories

1712
01:45:50,093 --> 01:45:53,304
that he was so creative
and so prolific.

1713
01:45:53,305 --> 01:45:55,890
We can have this
understanding of him now,

1714
01:45:55,891 --> 01:45:57,641
and it's a shame
that in some ways

1715
01:45:57,642 --> 01:45:59,560
we couldn't have understood
this while he was still alive.

1716
01:45:59,561 --> 01:46:03,105
- I really wish I had had
the chance to work with him.

1717
01:46:03,106 --> 01:46:05,900
- He was a great loss to
the filmmaking community

1718
01:46:05,901 --> 01:46:07,485
and to the world in general.

1719
01:46:07,486 --> 01:46:10,321
- The "Resident Evil" series
exists because of him.

1720
01:46:10,322 --> 01:46:11,947
My love for this series,

1721
01:46:11,948 --> 01:46:13,783
all the friends I've made
is all because of him.

1722
01:46:13,784 --> 01:46:16,494
- I would not be the man I am

1723
01:46:16,495 --> 01:46:18,329
if it wasn't for George Romero.

1724
01:46:18,330 --> 01:46:21,665
- I ran over and got
him to sign an autograph

1725
01:46:21,666 --> 01:46:22,958
for my brother Tom.

1726
01:46:22,959 --> 01:46:24,335
I remember he wrote, "To Tom:

1727
01:46:24,336 --> 01:46:25,836
When there's no
more room in hell,

1728
01:46:25,837 --> 01:46:27,338
I'll see you in Pittsburgh."

1729
01:46:27,339 --> 01:46:28,839
(Pat laughs)

1730
01:46:28,840 --> 01:46:31,008
- I don't know where my
life would be right now

1731
01:46:31,009 --> 01:46:32,635
if it wasn't for George Romero.

1732
01:46:32,636 --> 01:46:35,846
- It sparked a lot of
people's love of him

1733
01:46:35,847 --> 01:46:37,598
to be turned back up,

1734
01:46:37,599 --> 01:46:41,811
and we have so much stuff
going on in George's world now,

1735
01:46:41,812 --> 01:46:43,354
I wish he was here to see it.

1736
01:46:43,355 --> 01:46:46,315
- What he did was bring
all of those people

1737
01:46:46,316 --> 01:46:49,860
from all of those films
into one big family,

1738
01:46:49,861 --> 01:46:53,614
and all of the fans
all around that

1739
01:46:53,615 --> 01:46:55,699
are all part of that group too.

1740
01:46:55,700 --> 01:46:57,451
So that is his legacy.

1741
01:46:57,452 --> 01:47:00,037
It's not just the films that
he made that are on a shelf

1742
01:47:00,038 --> 01:47:02,540
or being watched at
a particular time.

1743
01:47:02,541 --> 01:47:04,667
It's that interconnection
between all the people

1744
01:47:04,668 --> 01:47:06,335
that he touched in his life.

1745
01:47:06,336 --> 01:47:08,212
- I just wanna thank
everybody again.

1746
01:47:08,213 --> 01:47:13,050
It's great to be here, and
thanks particularly to the fans.

1747
01:47:13,051 --> 01:47:15,345
I mean, I love you guys.

1748
01:47:16,638 --> 01:47:17,638
Thank you!

1749
01:47:18,557 --> 01:47:23,478
(audience cheering)
(loud applause)

1750
01:47:37,325 --> 01:47:39,995
(eerie music)

1751
01:48:07,772 --> 01:48:13,028
(wind howls)
(eerie music)

1752
01:48:20,577 --> 01:48:21,702
It's fabulous.

1753
01:48:21,703 --> 01:48:23,412
I love making the movies,

1754
01:48:23,413 --> 01:48:25,414
and it's great that
there's a game,

1755
01:48:25,415 --> 01:48:29,418
which is like a
flashback to that genre.

1756
01:48:29,419 --> 01:48:31,879
I can feel maybe a little bit

1757
01:48:31,880 --> 01:48:34,257
like I had some influence on it.

1758
01:48:34,966 --> 01:48:37,302
I feel very flattered.

1759
01:48:38,970 --> 01:48:41,932
(spooky music)