Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido is the author behind the novel adaptations of the Resident Evil live-action movies Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). Keith also took on the role as author for the 2022 graphic novelization of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness.
In February 2022, Keith was very kind to agree to an interview with Project Umbrella RE:Digest, including questions from the community.
In February 2022, Keith was very kind to agree to an interview with Project Umbrella RE:Digest, including questions from the community.
PU:RED: Can you share with us a little about your background and how/why you became an author? Where there any novels that inspired you to pursue the career?
DeCandido: I was raised by librarians, who read to me when I was very small and who encouraged me to read on my own when I was old enough. I devoured Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Robert A. Heinlein's YA novels, and P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories. I was doomed.
The first thing I wrote on my own was a "book" I put together on construction paper when I was six years old. It was called Reflections in My Mirror. I still have it—it's terrible (I mean, I was only six…). But the desire to tell stories was always there from a very young age, though it took me until nineteen years after Reflections… that I got paid for it.
The first thing I wrote on my own was a "book" I put together on construction paper when I was six years old. It was called Reflections in My Mirror. I still have it—it's terrible (I mean, I was only six…). But the desire to tell stories was always there from a very young age, though it took me until nineteen years after Reflections… that I got paid for it.
PU:RED: The original Live-Action movie was released in 2002 but your first novel for the movies did not appear until 2004 the same year as the sequel Apocalypse. Is there any information you can share regarding this matter?
DeCandido: Not every movie gets a novelization, and for whatever reason, there wasn't one for the first RE film when it came out. But when Apocalypse came around, the contract was for both a novelization of the new one and of the previous one.
DeCandido: Not every movie gets a novelization, and for whatever reason, there wasn't one for the first RE film when it came out. But when Apocalypse came around, the contract was for both a novelization of the new one and of the previous one.
PU:RED: Is there any information you can share with us on why your novels stopped at Extinction? Were you ever approached about sequel movies that followed?
DeCandido: There was no novelization of Afterlife. No idea why, but in order for there to be a novelization, the rights holders (the studio, the game company) have to sell those rights to a publisher. They didn't with the first film (at least not until a couple years later), and they didn't with the fourth film, either.
By the time Retribution rolled around, the rights were with a different publisher, Titan. For whatever reason, Titan didn't approach me to do the novelization, instead hiring John Shirley, and then Tim Waggoner for The Final Chapter.
DeCandido: There was no novelization of Afterlife. No idea why, but in order for there to be a novelization, the rights holders (the studio, the game company) have to sell those rights to a publisher. They didn't with the first film (at least not until a couple years later), and they didn't with the fourth film, either.
By the time Retribution rolled around, the rights were with a different publisher, Titan. For whatever reason, Titan didn't approach me to do the novelization, instead hiring John Shirley, and then Tim Waggoner for The Final Chapter.
S.D. Perry was writing the RE novels based on the game, but she couldn't fit the novelizations into her schedule. |
PU:RED: How did you land the role as author for the Resident Evil Live-Action novel adaptions?
DeCandido: The editor in charge of the RE books at the time was Marco Palmieri at Simon & Schuster. I'd written several books for Marco, mostly in the Star Trek universe. S.D. Perry was writing the RE novels based on the game, but she couldn't fit the novelizations into her schedule. Marco knew I had an aptitude for writing in other universes and also could write very fast, so he asked me to do the two novelizations that came out in 2004. Because of that, when Extinction came around in 2007, I was asked to do that as well, to maintain continuity.
DeCandido: The editor in charge of the RE books at the time was Marco Palmieri at Simon & Schuster. I'd written several books for Marco, mostly in the Star Trek universe. S.D. Perry was writing the RE novels based on the game, but she couldn't fit the novelizations into her schedule. Marco knew I had an aptitude for writing in other universes and also could write very fast, so he asked me to do the two novelizations that came out in 2004. Because of that, when Extinction came around in 2007, I was asked to do that as well, to maintain continuity.
PU:RED: Could you shed any light on Jill Valentine’s inclusion in your Extinction novel? Was this something based on the movies script? Were you aware or unaware that Jill was not going to appear in the novel when you wrote it?
DeCandido: That was an explicit directive from the film company. They had wanted to include Jill in the movie, but Sienna Guillory wasn't available, so they rewrote her role for Ali Larter's Claire Redfield. However, they wanted the character available for future films, so they asked me to give her a side plot that explained where she was while the rest of the movie's action was taking place.
DeCandido: That was an explicit directive from the film company. They had wanted to include Jill in the movie, but Sienna Guillory wasn't available, so they rewrote her role for Ali Larter's Claire Redfield. However, they wanted the character available for future films, so they asked me to give her a side plot that explained where she was while the rest of the movie's action was taking place.
PU:RED: Can you tell us about how you prepared for the role to write these adaptions? Did you watch the movie, read the script, play the games? Did you deep dive into the Biohazard supplementals such as guide books etc?
DeCandido: In all three cases, my primary source material was the script. I also had access to various bits of game material, and for the first movie, I had the actual movie to use as a guideline as well.
DeCandido: In all three cases, my primary source material was the script. I also had access to various bits of game material, and for the first movie, I had the actual movie to use as a guideline as well.
PU:RED: Were you aware of Osamu Makino’s Japanese adaption of Resident Evil (2002) movie using Anderson’s script?
DeCandido: I was not, no.
DeCandido: I was not, no.
PU:RED: Where does the character Aaron Vricella the invidiual from the opening of Genesis who sends Lisa down to the Hive. Is Aaron and other characters who appear in the novels and not the movies your own original characters or individuals from Anderson’s script?
DeCandido: Vricella was my creation. Given Umbrella's resources, the notion that the Addison siblings were working alone never made any kind of sense. The only way Lisa could have infiltrated Umbrella so successfully is if there was a well-heeled organization behind it. Vricella was the face of that organization. One of the things I wanted to do with the novelization was flesh out the plan to bring Umbrella down that Alice, Lisa, and Matt were all part of, since the way they told the amnesia plot in the movie itself left that aspect rather thinly portrayed.
DeCandido: Vricella was my creation. Given Umbrella's resources, the notion that the Addison siblings were working alone never made any kind of sense. The only way Lisa could have infiltrated Umbrella so successfully is if there was a well-heeled organization behind it. Vricella was the face of that organization. One of the things I wanted to do with the novelization was flesh out the plan to bring Umbrella down that Alice, Lisa, and Matt were all part of, since the way they told the amnesia plot in the movie itself left that aspect rather thinly portrayed.
I've been working very closely with Capcom. |
PU:RED: Did you work with Capcom when creating the Infinite Darkness Manga? Were you provided information by them?
DeCandido: Yes, I've been working very closely with Capcom, who have provided a veritable wealth of material.
DeCandido: Yes, I've been working very closely with Capcom, who have provided a veritable wealth of material.
PU:RED: How much freedom did you have when it came to writing these novels?
DeCandido: Quite a bit, actually. In particular, for Extinction I was encouraged to expand the storyline, including filling in the gap between the end of Apocalypse (in which the outbreak was seemingly contained by nuking Raccoon City) and the start of Extinction (after the zombie apocalypse), not to mention giving Jill a side story.
DeCandido: Quite a bit, actually. In particular, for Extinction I was encouraged to expand the storyline, including filling in the gap between the end of Apocalypse (in which the outbreak was seemingly contained by nuking Raccoon City) and the start of Extinction (after the zombie apocalypse), not to mention giving Jill a side story.
PU:RED: Were there any restrictions that you would have liked to expand upon?
DeCandido: Not really. They were very open to my expansions on the storyline.
DeCandido: Not really. They were very open to my expansions on the storyline.
PU:RED: Was Capcom involved with them? Sony? Or Anderson?
DeCandido: I don't know who specifically was providing feedback on the other end. For the novelizations, and also for the Infinite Darkness graphic novel, I deal with my editor (Marco Palmieri for the novels, Lena Attanasova for the comics), and they deal with the licensor.
DeCandido: I don't know who specifically was providing feedback on the other end. For the novelizations, and also for the Infinite Darkness graphic novel, I deal with my editor (Marco Palmieri for the novels, Lena Attanasova for the comics), and they deal with the licensor.
PU:RED: There seems to be a reference to Jill's backstory from the Perry novels in Apocalypse, "Jill mentally thanked her father for all the skills he’d taught her during a mis-spent youth" and you name and Umbrella subsidiary "Perrymyk Sounds" in Genesis. Was this the case?
DeCandido: Yup, those Easter eggs were very deliberate.
DeCandido: Yup, those Easter eggs were very deliberate.
PU:RED: Do you have any ideas for original RE stories you would like to cover if given the chance?
DeCandido: Oh, sure.
DeCandido: Oh, sure.
PU:RED: Would you like to cover retelling novelizations for any other particular installment from the franchise?
DeCandido: Well, I'd love to do a novelization of Afterlife, just to complete the set, y'know?
DeCandido: Well, I'd love to do a novelization of Afterlife, just to complete the set, y'know?
PU:RED: Do you have a favorite RE game?
DeCandido: Not really? Hilariously, given how much game fiction I've written, I'm not actually much of a gamer—which is a time thing, really. I just don't have the freedom in my schedule for gaming.
DeCandido: Not really? Hilariously, given how much game fiction I've written, I'm not actually much of a gamer—which is a time thing, really. I just don't have the freedom in my schedule for gaming.
PU:RED: I saw that you write for Alien and Star Trek as well. What is the difference in writing for them compared to RE? Is it easier or harder? What's the easiest franchise you've written for?
DeCandido: Alien and RE actually are very similar, in that both are very dark and with a lot of horror. Both those franchises have a very cynical view of humanity and corporate culture—Umbrella and Weyland-Yutani are both pretty destructively evil corporations that have appalling influence over the course of human events. Trek is much more optimistic and hopeful.
When you're writing Alien or RE, the bad guys often win and there's a lot of violence. When you're writing Trek, the good guys often win, usually through a solution based on compassion rather than violence.
Easiest franchise to write for has been Star Trek, just because I've been watching Trek since birth, pretty much, and the universe is practically imprinted on my DNA…
DeCandido: Alien and RE actually are very similar, in that both are very dark and with a lot of horror. Both those franchises have a very cynical view of humanity and corporate culture—Umbrella and Weyland-Yutani are both pretty destructively evil corporations that have appalling influence over the course of human events. Trek is much more optimistic and hopeful.
When you're writing Alien or RE, the bad guys often win and there's a lot of violence. When you're writing Trek, the good guys often win, usually through a solution based on compassion rather than violence.
Easiest franchise to write for has been Star Trek, just because I've been watching Trek since birth, pretty much, and the universe is practically imprinted on my DNA…
PU:RED: Resident Evil Afterlife never received a novelization, were there ever plans for an Afterlife novel to your knowledge? Maybe written but never released?
DeCandido: As I said above, the rights to do a novelization of Afterlife were never sold to a publisher, so no, nothing was ever written. Pity.
DeCandido: As I said above, the rights to do a novelization of Afterlife were never sold to a publisher, so no, nothing was ever written. Pity.
PU:RED: Is there a franchise you've always wanted to work on but never had the chance?
DeCandido: Oh, lots. I wanted to write a Battlestar Galactica novel that tied into the 2003 series, I actually pitched Highlander and Quantum Leap novels back in the day when those novel lines were going strong, but they didn't happen. Some favorites I'd love to write for include Homicide: Life on the Street, Babylon 5, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Star Wars.
DeCandido: Oh, lots. I wanted to write a Battlestar Galactica novel that tied into the 2003 series, I actually pitched Highlander and Quantum Leap novels back in the day when those novel lines were going strong, but they didn't happen. Some favorites I'd love to write for include Homicide: Life on the Street, Babylon 5, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Star Wars.
PU:RED: In Extinction, Claire is mentioned to have been rescued by Carlos's Strike team before she became leader of the convoy. The last mission the strike team did before it fell apart was rescuing teachers and students at Purdue University. Did Claire go to that university? Or was she rescued before that mission.
DeCandido: I honestly don't recall for sure fifteen years later. I know that I used Purdue University because it was the alma mater of the woman I was living with at the time…
DeCandido: I honestly don't recall for sure fifteen years later. I know that I used Purdue University because it was the alma mater of the woman I was living with at the time…
PU:RED: A woman named Jidun Burton is named in Extinction was this intended to be a relative of Barry Burton or just a reference via last name?
DeCandido: It isn't a reference to Barry Burton, no, it was—like many of the names I created for the novelizations—a person named after a friend of mine, in this case, someone who was a fellow student at my karate dojo at the time.
DeCandido: It isn't a reference to Barry Burton, no, it was—like many of the names I created for the novelizations—a person named after a friend of mine, in this case, someone who was a fellow student at my karate dojo at the time.
It's a prequel to the animated series... |
PU:RED: How familiar are you with the games? Or other RE properties?
DeCandido: I wasn't familiar at all when I was first approached in 2004, but I became familiar very quickly.
DeCandido: I wasn't familiar at all when I was first approached in 2004, but I became familiar very quickly.
PU:RED: Were you ever asked to do novels for the Anderson movies beyond Extinction? Did you want to?
DeCandido: I wasn't, no. I would have loved to have continued my work on the first three, but It was not to be.
DeCandido: I wasn't, no. I would have loved to have continued my work on the first three, but It was not to be.
PU:RED: Is the Infinite Darkness Manga going to be a 1:1 adaption? A retelling? Or something that will expand on the show with new content? Do you have a lot of creative freedom?
DeCandido: It's a prequel to the animated series, focusing on Leon. That's really all I can say for the moment.
DeCandido: It's a prequel to the animated series, focusing on Leon. That's really all I can say for the moment.
PU:RED: I feel like Jill appeared to be a bit more resentful and hateful in the Apocalypse novel than her movie counterpart, was this intentional?
DeCandido: Keep in mind that I was basing my novelization on the script. Based on her dialogue, and on her backstory, I figured she'd be resentful of how she was treated by RCPD. Sienna Guillory didn't really play her that way, but I had no way of knowing that when I was writing.
DeCandido: Keep in mind that I was basing my novelization on the script. Based on her dialogue, and on her backstory, I figured she'd be resentful of how she was treated by RCPD. Sienna Guillory didn't really play her that way, but I had no way of knowing that when I was writing.
PU:RED: How many volumes are there going to be in Infinite Darkness series graphic novels?
DeCandido: The current plan is for a five-issue miniseries that will be collected into a single graphic novel.
DeCandido: The current plan is for a five-issue miniseries that will be collected into a single graphic novel.
PU:RED: Is there any upcoming project you wish to share with us and briefly mention and where can fans follow your work (social media perhaps)?
DeCandido: You can find me online through my web site at DeCandido.net, which is pretty simplistic, but links to all the other places you can cyberstalk me. I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pretty regularly, I maintain a blog on WordPress, and I have a Patreon. I also have a YouTube channel that I started in 2020 called "KRAD COVID readings" in which I've done readings of most of my short fiction.
I have bunches of stuff in the works: the next novels in my urban fantasy series about a guy from the Bronx who hunts monsters for a living (Book 1: A Furnace Sealed came out in 2019, and I'm hoping to have Feat of Clay out later this year), and in my fantasy/police procedural series that started with Dragon Precinct and includes five novels and a short story collection published over the last decade-plus (hoping to have Phoenix Precinct out in early 2023). A Star Trek Adventures RPG (written with Fred Love) called Incident at Kraav III should be out later this year, as will an urban fantasy short story collection Ragnarok and a Hard Place: More Tales of Cassie Zukav, Weirdness Magnet. I've got stories in a bunch of upcoming anthologies (Phenomenons: Every Human Creature, The Fans are Buried Tales, Three Time Travelers Walk Into…, Tales of Capes and Cowls, The Four ???? of the Apocalypse), and I've got a few projects in development that I can't talk about yet.
I also do a lot of nonfiction, including writing regularly for the award-winning Tor.com webzine and on my aforementioned Patreon. I've also written a Gold Archive monograph on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Birthright," and essays for collections about the 1966 Batman and the Stargate franchise.
Oh, and, of course, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness--The Beginning.
DeCandido: You can find me online through my web site at DeCandido.net, which is pretty simplistic, but links to all the other places you can cyberstalk me. I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pretty regularly, I maintain a blog on WordPress, and I have a Patreon. I also have a YouTube channel that I started in 2020 called "KRAD COVID readings" in which I've done readings of most of my short fiction.
I have bunches of stuff in the works: the next novels in my urban fantasy series about a guy from the Bronx who hunts monsters for a living (Book 1: A Furnace Sealed came out in 2019, and I'm hoping to have Feat of Clay out later this year), and in my fantasy/police procedural series that started with Dragon Precinct and includes five novels and a short story collection published over the last decade-plus (hoping to have Phoenix Precinct out in early 2023). A Star Trek Adventures RPG (written with Fred Love) called Incident at Kraav III should be out later this year, as will an urban fantasy short story collection Ragnarok and a Hard Place: More Tales of Cassie Zukav, Weirdness Magnet. I've got stories in a bunch of upcoming anthologies (Phenomenons: Every Human Creature, The Fans are Buried Tales, Three Time Travelers Walk Into…, Tales of Capes and Cowls, The Four ???? of the Apocalypse), and I've got a few projects in development that I can't talk about yet.
I also do a lot of nonfiction, including writing regularly for the award-winning Tor.com webzine and on my aforementioned Patreon. I've also written a Gold Archive monograph on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Birthright," and essays for collections about the 1966 Batman and the Stargate franchise.
Oh, and, of course, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness--The Beginning.