Before the Resident Evil franchise ended up in the hands of Paul W.S. Anderson, the filmmaker who was developing a cinematic adaptation of the zombie video game series was the one who first brought us the concept of flesh-eating zombies: Night of the Living Dead (and Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead) director George A. Romero. For decades, fans have been pondering what it would have been like if Romero had been able to bring his vision of Resident Evil to the screen – but the closest thing we ever got was a commercial for the Resident Evil 2 video game that was directed by Romero.
In 1997, Japanese game developer Capcom brought Romero in to direct a Japanese TV commercial for Resident Evil 2 that would become a cult legend worldwide. Japan-based writer and Romero historian Norman England was invited to the set, where he witnessed “the energy, chaos, and artistry” Romero and actor Brad Renfro brought to the commercial. Now, England has told the story in the book On the Set of Resident Evil 2: The TV Commercial!
What do we know about On the Set of Resident Evil 2: The TV Commercial?
Told through vivid, on-the-spot journal entries, this is an unfiltered chronicle of a one-time-only collaboration between a master filmmaker and a gaming phenomenon. Packed with rare set photos, original production documents, and press coverage from the era, this book serves as both a behind-the-scenes account and a visual archive of a landmark moment in horror and gaming history.
The book features:
- Nearly 200 full-color, original set photos
- An archive of Resident Evil 2 marketing materials tied to the live-action TV commercial
- Reproductions of over 40 vintage magazine pieces covering the commercial’s production
- Rare production documents
- Exclusive Interviews with George Romero, Brad Renfro, Adrienne Frantz, and editor Pat Buba
- Special guest pieces by Joseph Palinkas (History of Carnosaur), Brandon Salisbury (director of George A. Romero’s Resident Evil), veteran genre writer/actor Pat Jankiewicz, and a foreword by Jason Bareford, George Romero’s longtime assistant
On the Set of Resident Evil 2: The TV Commercial has a page count of 258 and is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A Kindle text-only edition is also available. Will you be adding this book to your collection? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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