'The House of the Dead' Film Adaptation Taps Isabela Merced
‘Resident Evil’ filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson reimagines Sega’s arcade horror as a real-time survival ride and potential new zombie saga.
Summary
- Isabela Merced has been cast to lead a new film adaptation of Sega’s cult zombie shooter franchise The House of the Dead, with Paul W.S. Anderson writing and directing
- Sega is positioning the project as a top priority and potential franchise starter, aiming for an immersive, real-time survival horror experience that delivers a fresh take on the arcade classic
- The movie extends Sega’s broader push into film and TV after the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, while tapping Merced’s growing genre profile from The Last of Us, Superman and Alien: Romulus
The House of the Dead is officially back from the grave, this time as a big screen survival horror showcase fronted by The Last of Us, Superman and Alien: Romulus star Isabela Merced. The adaptation will pull Sega’s 1997 light-gun staple into a modern film package steered by Resident Evil architect Paul W.S. Anderson. Deadline reports that Anderson is scripting, directing and producing, reuniting with longtime collaborator Jeremy Bolt alongside Sega producer Toru Nakahara and the Story Kitchen team.
The creative pitch leans into the game’s arcade DNA. Anderson’s movie is being developed as an intense, real-time “terror ride” that drops viewers into the chaos as AMS agents racing to stop a zombie outbreak and the conspiracies behind it. Sega is treating the project as a top priority following the Sonic box office run, framing House of the Dead as the next pillar in a broader screen universe built from its back catalogue. The idea is to go fully immersive, updating the franchise’s fast-moving undead and boss-heavy mythology while positioning the film as the opening chapter in a multi-movie saga.
For Merced, House of the Dead extends a clear throughline in her career as a go-to face of genre. She’s already embedded in two heavyweight franchises via The Last of Us and James Gunn’s Superman, plus Alien: Romulus, and now steps into the kind of lead survival horror role that can define an era if the execution lands. For Sega, pairing her with Anderson signals a willingness to embrace unapologetic, game-forward horror, not just four-quadrant family plays. If the team nails the balance of character, carnage and rail-shooter momentum, this could be the rare arcade adaptation that actually feels like a night at the cabinet, scaled up to cinema.
