Shock Till You Drop has some exclusive bad news: Screen Gems and Sony are racing to get another Resident Evil film in the can for release on September 17, 2010. Given the end of the third film, participation of Milla Jovovich is likely, and we know that Paul W.S. Anderson (director of the first film, writer and producer of all three previous movies) is writing this one, and will likely produce but not direct. What more is there to say? A little bit, actually, and it’s after the jump.

Plans for Resident Evil 4 have been rumored for almost a year. Sure, some of the talent involved said the third film was the last, but Extinction opened well and has done $150m worldwide. At Comic Con last year, while promoting Death Race, Anderson said of a fourth film, “I’m talking with Sony Pictures about it. We’re in discussions to make another one, but it’s far from certain.” Then earlier this week STYD got word of an internal Sony memo that pegged the September ‘10 date for the film, which they’ve now verified is real. In addition, Milla Jovovich told paparazzi recently that “we’re going to start shooting at the end of the year.” When asked what she was referring to she said “number four”. This is what reporting on Resident Evil movies reduces us to: scrubbing back and fourth through paparazzi videos, trying to hear an inaudible question.

This is where the spoilers for Resident Evil: Extinction start, though I’m not sure anyone is too worried about it: The Russell Mulcahy film ended with Calire (Ali Larter) heading for Alaska, Alice (Jovovich) learning that her blood was the cure for the zombie T-virus, and with an army of Alice clones threatening to destroy the Umbrella Corporation’s facility in Japan, where more experimentation is planned. Back in ‘05 a fourth film, Resident Evil: Afterlife was mentioned as a possibility, with the idea that it would take place in Tokyo, and later talks suggested that Tokyo and Alaska would both be settings for the film.