Proucer Don Carmody Talks Resident Evil: Afterlife and Silent Hill 2
Posted 05.08.10 by Ryan
Producer Don Carmody's career has been spent making genre movies, including comic book adaptations like Whiteout and video game adaptations like Silent Hill and the upcoming Resident Evil: Afterlife. Afterlife is the fourth installment in the successful franchise and will be the first to be released in 3-D. Worried that Resident Evil movies may have worn out their welcome, Carmody told FEARnet that 3-D was part of the decision to go forward with another sequel.
The fact that it's the fourth in a series, when a lot of series tend to run out of steam, is always a risk, but we think that a terrific script and the added element of 3D will really please the fans. [Writer-director] Paul [W.S. Anderson] loves the 3D — he wants to do his next movie in 3D. I think it is one of the best scripts in the series so far.
I actually made a 3D movie, Space Hunter, back in 1983 — the last time 3D was hot. I must admit, I am astonished at how much better the technology is now. It's amazing quality. Plus filmmakers have learned not to poke the audience in the eye. You can sit back and enjoy. That's not to say we don't have some things coming at us, but it's not constant. It just enhances the experience — it really puts you into the action. When Alice (Milla Jovovich) is running down a corridor firing machine guns, the shells are whizzing past your ears. It's quite amazing.
Unlike some of the earlier Resident Evil movies, Carmody says this one is "a little closer to the game" though, he admits, making the movies less faithful to the games was a conscious decision.
We have always been cognizant of that — we can't make the movies just for gamers. Of course, we always run the risk of incurring the wrath of the gamers — who are very vocal. I did Silent Hill and we are planning a Silent Hill 2 — we were getting hate mail for that one. I think with Resident Evil, after the first installment, fans realized the story was moving forward in a cinematic way. When you play the game, you are using your imagination — you kind of sense what things will look like. The games have progressed, and are more cinematic now. In fact, the games are taking a bit from us as well. They are using our sets and characters, we are using some of their storylines ... things like that.
Carmody says that Silent Hill 2 should start shooting "in late spring in Toronto," on track with reports about the production from last November. At the time, Carmody was awaiting a script from incarcerated screenwriter Roger Avary, who was granted permission to continue writing the script from prison. Looks like Avary finished. Director Christophe Gans is not expected to return for the sequel.