Ahad Raza Mir set to star in Netflix’s ‘Resident Evil’ series

The reboot will build on the hit survival video game franchise, which also includes a series of Hollywood films starring actor Mila Jovovich. The official synopsis of the Netflix series reads, “Year 2036 – 14 years after a deadly virus sparked a global apocalypse, Jade Wesker fights to survive in a world overrun by bloodthirsty infected and insane creatures.” It continues,  “In this carnage, Jade is haunted by her New Raccoon City past, her father's connection to the Umbrella Corporation, but most importantly, what happened to her sister, Billie.”

Mir’s announcement was met with widespread delight, with fellow actor Mahira Khan commenting on his Instagram post with a series of celebratory emojis. 

An Indian user wrote on Twitter, Ahad Raza Mir will star in the Netflix Original Resident Evil. This follows the news of Humayun Saeed starring in The Crown and Mehwish Hayat and Fawad Khan who could be seen in Ms. Marvel. What a moment for the Pakistani entertainment industry.”

— Surbhi Gupta (@bysurbhigupta) March 17, 2022

A fan expressed joy over the news, writing, “This news made me so happy! I am so proud of you, Ahad Raza Mir. May you reach the heights of success and get all the love that you deserve!”

— dua ༄˚✽ (@xioye_dex) March 17, 2022

Another shared how they want Mir to have a significant role to play in the series, saying, “Ahad Raza Mir is going to be in Resident Evil. If this is only a five-minute-long side role I’m going to be so angry.” 

— 🥀 (@monicagelllerrr) March 17, 2022

Apart from Mir, the Resident Evil cast also includes actors Lance Reddick, Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Nuñez, Connor Gossatti, and Turlough Convery. The series has been created by Andrew Dabbis, who co-wrote the show's eight episodes with Mary Leah Sutton.

The story for Resident Evil will be divided into two timelines. According to Netflix, in the first timeline, “We see fourteen-year-old sisters Jade and Billie Weskers moving to New Raccoon City. A fabricated, corporate city, which is actually forced upon them while puberty is in full swing. The more time they spend there, the more they realize that the city is more than it seems, and that their father is hiding dark secrets. Secrets that could destroy the world.”

The second timeline begins after the apocalyptic outbreak of the virus, “There are less than 15 million people on Earth and more than 6 billion monsters. Jade, now 30, struggles to survive in this New World as the secrets of her past, about her sister, her father and herself continue to haunt."

Mir has been active on the international theatre scene for a while, starring in productions of Romeo and Juliet (2014) as Tybalt and as Lennox in the 2015 adaptation of Macbeth. He also bagged the titular role in the 2019 production of Hamlet: A Ghost Story with the International Shakespeare Company. He won Canada’s Betty Mitchell Award for outstanding performance by an actor for his role as Hamlet.

The actor also starred across the border in the Zee5 series Dhoop Ki Deewar opposite Sajal Aly. Locally, he is currently filming the comedy series Hum Tum. Mir has previously acted in dramas including Parwaaz Hay Junoon (2018), Aangan (2018), Ehd-e-Wafa (2019) and Yeh Dil Mera (2019). He also donned the producer’s hat for Kalasha, which is currently in the works.  

In a 2021 interview with Eastern Eye, the actor shared why he is so selective with his acting credits. Mir explained, "You have to define yourself as an artist, so it’s not fair to yourself to just keep doing everything that comes your way. As much as you might love acting, you need to tell stories that inspire you and play challenging characters." He added, "I think my journey became different in that sense. I know what kind of work I want to do and am very grateful I’m able to do it and choose to do it."