Back to All News
Eiichiro Hasumi and Yugo Kanno on Directing and Creating the Music for RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness
Entertainment
15 April 2021
GlobalUnited StatesJapan
Known as the gold standard of survival horror games with over 100 million units shipped worldwide, Resident Evil is celebrating its 25th anniversary and we are excited to reveal that the upcoming original CG anime series, RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness, will be launching exclusively on Netflix in July this year.
Eiichiro Hasumi, the critically-acclaimed director behind some of Japan's biggest live-action hits including the Umizaru or Mozu, series, as well as The Sun Does Not Move will be directing the upcoming series with Yugo Kanno, a versatile musician active in a wide range of fields and genres, including documentaries and games, responsible for the musical score. To celebrate the upcoming launch and to give fans a glimpse behind the scenes, both Eiichiro Hasumi and Yugo Kanno talk exclusively about their involvement and exciting work on the upcoming anime. Full Q&A with Eiichiro Hasumi
Q. You have built an impressive career in live-action, including many popular action films and series. How did it feel directing a 3DCG series for Resident Evil, a globally popular IP, as your first foray into anime? A: Being involved in a work with such a long history and so many fans gave me more joy than it did pressure. I was supported by the amazing staff during my first attempt at a full CG anime. I am so appreciative of their efforts and truly feel that they dragged me across the finish line. While this is a full CG anime, I strove to adjust the camerawork and lighting atmosphere to resemble the live-action filming I usually do to instill this work with a sense of realism. Since the characters are loved by many people, we ensured that our depiction of them does not betray the fans' expectations. It was also reassuring that the motion capture actors and voice actors were the cast that play Leon and Claire.
Q. Leon and Claire are popular Resident Evil series characters that are beloved by fans across the globe. What did you want to draw from them in this work? A: Leaning on a suggestion from the Executive Producer Kobayashi, we decided to portray Leon as a somewhat cynical character in contrast to Claire. These events take place in 2006, between the time he was a young man filled with a sense of justice and 2014, when he had become slightly fatigued by the endless fighting as depicted in Resident Evil: Vendetta. The suit Leon wears is important as it symbolizes this position. I was impressed because he looks cool even in formal attire.
Q. This work will be released in 190 countries on Netflix. What kind of viewers across the globe would you like to watch this? Please tell us if there was anything you were conscious of specifically because it is a global release. A: I really appreciated that the ADR Director Alex worked hard on this project for a long time, from the motion capture stage for the English translation of lines, as well as the culture and customs. When I received this offer from Producer Shinohara, I was asked to add an element of suspense, so based on the mystery of what happened in the Penamstan War six years earlier, we constructed the story to shuffle the timeline and slowly turn over the cards to reveal the truth. I hope that both fans of the Resident Evil series and non-fans alike can enjoy this element too, while watching the series in one go. Full Q&A with Yugo Kanno Q. You have composed music for works from various genres, but what were you conscious of when producing the music for this work? Were there any tricks you used to generate the unique atmosphere of Resident Evil? A: Since this is an internationally popular series, I watched the previous Resident Evil titles and inherited the spirit of the many people who worked on them, and took on the challenge of creating a new atmosphere through trial-and-error. I was keenly aware that this work would be released on Netflix, so I focused on the scale of a Hollywood film so that overseas viewers could also enjoy this.
Q. This wasn't like the live-action films or drama settings that you have collaborated on in the past with Director Hasumi. Please tell us if you had any new realizations or discoveries unique to an anime production set, or any points of particular focus. A: It was not particularly different from live-action films or dramas. Since I received the same detailed instructions as usual from Director Hasumi, including the exact impression and way he wanted to show the visuals, I was not particularly conscious of the fact this was an animation during its production. In fact, it feels like I am only now realizing that this is an animated series. (laughs)
Q. What sort of themes or images did you share with director Hasumi when producing the music for this series? Please tell us if there were any discussions that left an impression during your communication with the director. A: During my conversations with Director Hasumi for the demo music for the first trailer, I realized that even though this was a work of horror, it isn't typical of Resident Evil to rely too much on music to scare. However, it has to be scary too, so I worked on striking that balance for the music through trial-and-error while sharing the demo music with him.
For more information on RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Dark please visit the Netflix Media Center.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Back to All News
