| Underworld | |
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 Official logo | |
| Created by | |
| Original work | Underworld (2003) |
| Owner | Screen Gems (Sony Pictures Entertainment) |
| Years | 2003–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) |
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| Comics |
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| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
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| Short film(s) | Endless War (2011) |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) | The Eternal War (2004) |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) |
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Underworld is anaction horrorfilm series created byKevin Grevioux,Len Wiseman, andDanny McBride. It follows characters who are caught up in a war betweenvampires andwerewolves (called "lycans" within the films). Most of the films starKate Beckinsale asSelene. The first film,Underworld (2003), introduces Selene, an elite vampire-warrior who defies her orders, and Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), a human who gets caught up in the war. The second film,Underworld: Evolution (2006), follows Selene and Michael as they are hunted by their enemies. The third film,Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), is theprequel to the series, chronicling the origins of the vampire-lycan war. The fourth film,Underworld: Awakening (2012), is the sequel toUnderworld: Evolution. In this film, humans have discovered the existence of vampires and lycans, and are trying to eradicate both species. A fifth film, titledUnderworld: Blood Wars (2016), focuses on Selene who tries to stop a new war between vampires and lycans.
The series received generally negative reviews from critics, but amassed a strong fan following and grossed a total of $539 million, against a combined budget of $207 million.[1]
| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underworld | September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19) | Len Wiseman | Danny McBride | Len Wiseman, Danny McBride &Kevin Grevioux | Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi & Richard Wright |
| Underworld: Evolution | January 20, 2006 (2006-01-20) | Len Wiseman & Danny McBride | Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright & David Coatsworth | ||
| Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | January 23, 2009 (2009-01-23) | Patrick Tatopoulos | Dirk Blackman, Danny McBride & Howard McCain | Robert Orr, Len Wiseman & Danny McBride | Len Wiseman, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi & Richard Wright |
| Underworld: Awakening | January 20, 2012 (2012-01-20) | Björn Stein &Måns Mårlind | Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, Allison Burnett &J. Michael Straczynski | Len Wiseman & John Hlavin | |
| Underworld: Blood Wars | November 24, 2016 (2016-11-24) | Anna Foerster | Cory Goodman | Kyle Ward & Cory Goodman | David Kern, Len Wiseman, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi & Richard Wright |
Underworld tells the story ofSelene (Kate Beckinsale) a Death Dealer bent on destroying thelycans who allegedly killed her family. She discovers that the lycans are pursuing a human, Michael Corvin, for experimentation; Selene captures Michael herself to find out what the lycans are up to. Along the way, Selene not only discovers a mutinous plot to destroy the vampire Elders, but also a shocking revelation about her father figure Elder,Viktor.
Thevampires andlycans are not supernatural creatures, but rather the product of a mutation of thePlague.
It is revealed in the film that Alexander Corvinus is the first of the vampire and lycan lines. He was the only survivor of the plague that wiped out his village. Somehow, his body was able to mutate thepathogen, mold it to his own benefit. He had three sons, two of whom inherited their father's immortality and were bitten, one, Markus, by a bat, and the other, William, by a wolf, resulting in the vampire and werewolf lines. Corvinus's unnamed third son, who did not inherit immortality, also carried the Corvinus Strain as an exact duplicate of the original pathogen, hidden away in his genetic code and passed along to his human descendants through the centuries. This, according toSinge, is the key to creating a hybrid.
InUnderworld: Evolution, Selene takes Michael to a vampire safe house and plans to return to Viktor's estate to awakenMarkus, the last vampire Elder. Before she can return, Markus confronts her, having been awakened by the blood of the lycan scientist, Singe, after he was killed. Markus does not seem keen to help Selene and wishes to steal her memories for information. While on the run from Markus, Selene and Michael discover that Markus is the first vampire and that he plans to free his imprisoned brother,William, the first and most savage werewolf.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans focuses primarily on the origins of some characters and the events leading to the vampire–lycan war, depicted in the previous films.
As shown in the film, the original werewolves were uncontrollable beasts, unable to retake human form once bitten. However, there was a single werewolf who gave birth to a human-looking child. This child carried a mutation of the original pathogen, permitting him to alternate between human and werewolf form. He was Lucian, dubbed by Viktor as "the first of the lycans".
The vampires used the lycans as slaves to be the guardians of their lairs during the daylight hours and labor during the night. However, Viktor's daughter, Sonja, and Lucian fell in love and she became pregnant. Lucian, the lycan leader, led a revolt after Viktor killed Sonja to prevent the blending of the species.
Vampire death dealer Selene escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both vampire and lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.[2] Selene also learns that she has a hybrid daughter born while she was imprisoned, who has the ability to see through her parents' eyes. The same goes for Selene, who has the ability to see through the child's eyes and uses it to find her daughter.
On August 27, 2014,Lakeshore Entertainment announced plans to reboot the franchise. Cory Goodman was hired to write the script for the first film.Tom Rosenberg andGary Lucchesi would be producers.[3] Later it was confirmed not to be a reboot but another entry in the series.[citation needed] The fifth film, originally tentatively titledUnderworld: Next Generation, was in production with Kate Beckinsale reprising her role as Selene andAnna Foerster set to direct the fifth film inPrague in October.Theo James was set to reprise his role as David from the fourth film as the new lead, but said that "[his] involvement in it is... I think it's going to be very difficult to do that with theseDivergent movies, and my other commitments." James however remained in the film to fulfill an option agreement.[4][5][6] In August 2015, it was reported byDeadline Hollywood thatTobias Menzies was cast in the film.[7][8] In September 2015,Deadline reported thatBradley James, Clementine Nicholson, andLara Pulver were also cast.[9][10][11]
The film was released internationally on November 24, 2016, and in the United States on January 6, 2017.
In September 2018, Beckinsale cast doubt on appearing in a sixthUnderworld film.[12] By July 2021, however, she stated that she was not opposed to reprising the role.[13]
Acrossover with the filmI, Frankenstein (2014) was planned by Kevin Grevioux, co-creator of theUnderworld franchise and creator of theI, Frankenstein graphic novel. He stated in an interview that, in an early draft of his screenplay, Beckinsale would have made apost-credit cameo appearance as Selene and that there would have beenUnderworldeaster eggs, but none of this was used.[14]
In October 2016, Kate Beckinsale stated that a crossover film betweenUnderworld and theBlade franchise, featuringWesley Snipes reprising his role asBlade, had been in development and discussed withMarvel Comics the previous year,[15][16] but was declined afterMarvel Studios regained the film rights to the character and planned to introduce him into theMarvel Cinematic Universe.[17]
In October 2016, producer David Kern revealed that a crossover film with theResident Evil film series had been considered.[17]
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underworld: Endless War | December 20, 2011 (2011-12-20) | Juno John Lee | Jon Schnepp | Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi & Richard Wright |
Underworld: Endless War is a 2011animated film, which includes three individual short films beginning in 1890 and leading up to the events ofUnderworld: Awakening. The film follows Selene as she hunts down a group of three lycan brothers in three separate time periods.
In October 2014, Wiseman announced plans to expand the film series into a franchise with the possibility of spin-offs in addition to a television series.[18][19] In January 2016, the filmmaker confirmed that he is still developing the series though there is no timetable for when it will debut. He stated that the series will explore characters that tie into the film series.[20]
The series officially entered development in September 2017. Wiseman was announced to return to the franchise asexecutive producer. The filmmaker stated that the series will be a "pretty big departure from the films", specifying that the tone and character of the show will be different. The series will be a joint-venture production betweenSony Pictures Television,Screen Gems, Sketch Films,Lakeshore Entertainment, and20th Century Television.[21] Wiseman indicated the project was still in development in 2023.[22]
Key
- AY indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
- AnO indicates a role as an older version of the character.
- AV indicates the actor lent only their voice for their film character.
- AC indicates acameo appearance.
- AnA indicates an appearance through archival footage.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
| Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing companies | Running time | ||
| Underworld | Paul Haslinger | Tony Pierce-Roberts | Martin Hunter | Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, Subterranean Productions, Laurinfilm | Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing | 121 minutes | |
| Underworld: Evolution | Marco Beltrami | Simon Duggan | Nicholas Del Toth | Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, Vancouver Film Studios | 106 minutes | ||
| Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | Paul Haslinger | Ross Emery | Peter Amundson &Eric Potter | Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, Sketch Films | 92 minutes | ||
| Underworld: Endless War | — | Lauren Hecht | Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, Titmouse | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | 18 minutes | ||
| Underworld: Awakening | Scott Kevan | Jeff McEvoy | Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, Sketch Films | Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing | 89 minutes | ||
| Underworld: Blood Wars | Michael Wandmacher | Karl Walter Lindenlaub | Peter Amundson | Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, LStar Capital, Sketch Films, Stillking Films | 91 minutes | ||
In September 2003, shortly after the release ofUnderworld, production companies Screen Gems and Lakeshore planned to release a prequel as the third film followingUnderworld's sequel,Underworld: Evolution. Kate Beckinsale, who portrayed Selene inUnderworld, expressed interest in reprising her role for the sequel and the prequel.[23]
In December 2005,Underworld: Evolution directorLen Wiseman explained that theUnderworld franchise was originally conceived as a trilogy. Wiseman said, "We sort of mapped out an entire history and story... a massive collection of ideas and stories that we're putting out at certain times." Wiseman anticipated creating a third installment for the franchise based on the audiences' reception ofUnderworld: Evolution, which would be released the following month.[24]
In a June 2006 interview, Wiseman said, "The third film is going to be a prequel. It will be the origin story and we find out things we didn't know about Lucian; he'll have a much bigger part in it. It will be about the creation [of the races] and what started the war. It will be a period piece. The film will also focus for the first time through the lycans' point of view." The director also shared, "In terms of the writing, a lot of the writing has been done. We've been developingUnderworld 3 for a while. I won't be directingUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans; I'm just going to be producing and writing." When asked if Kate Beckinsale would reprise her role as Selene in the prequel, Wiseman said, "It will be in the time period before, but it will overlap into the creation of her as well. We're in the process of seeing how far we go with that."[25] The following October, actorMichael Sheen, who portrays Lucian in the film series, expressed interest in being part of the prequel.[26]
The Hollywood Reporter announced that the film would be written by Danny McBride and mark the directorial début ofPatrick Tatopoulos, who designed the creature effects for all threeUnderworld films. Len Wiseman would produce, and contribute to the writing of this film, but would not direct, nor would Kate Beckinsale reprise her lead role of Selene nor would Scott Speedman reprise his role of Michael. In late September 2007, scribes Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain were brought on board and delivered a draft on November 3, mere days before the2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[27] Pre-production began shortly thereafter.
"It's like putting your wedding dress on, or putting your school uniform on, it's like a time-warp feeling."
The prequel film was shot inAuckland,New Zealand and inRoxboro,North Carolina. There is a brief pickup shot ofTenaya Lake inYosemite National Park as well.
In a 2009 interview,Underworld co-creatorKevin Grevioux revealed that he had named the Selene character after theMarvel Comics characterof the same name.[29]
Filming forUnderworld: Awakening began in March 2011 atSimon Fraser University inVancouver, British Columbia.Underworld: Awakening was the first film to be shot usingRED EPIC digital cameras in 3D.[28]
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America | ||||
| Underworld | September 19, 2003 | $51,970,690 | $43,737,767 | $95,708,457 | #1,382 | $22 million | [1][30] |
| Underworld: Evolution | January 20, 2006 | $62,318,875 | $49,021,926 | $111,340,801 | #1,122 | $45 million | [1][31] |
| Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | January 23, 2009 | $45,802,315 | $45,282,848 | $91,085,163 | #1,582 | $35 million | [1][32] |
| Underworld: Awakening | January 20, 2012 | $62,321,039 | $97,791,632 | $160,112,671 | #1,121 | $70 million | [1][33] |
| Underworld: Blood Wars | November 24, 2016 | $30,353,973 | $50,739,340 | $81,093,313 | #2,499 | $35 million | [1][34] |
| Total | $252,766,892 | $286,573,513 | $539,340,405 | $207 million | [1] | ||
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[35] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underworld | 31% (162 reviews)[36] | 42 (34 reviews)[37] | B+ |
| Underworld: Evolution | 17% (104 reviews)[38] | 36 (21 reviews)[39] | B+ |
| Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | 29% (78 reviews)[40] | 44 (14 reviews)[41] | B+ |
| Underworld: Awakening | 26% (76 reviews)[42] | 39 (17 reviews)[43] | A− |
| Underworld: Blood Wars | 21% (96 reviews)[44] | 23 (17 reviews)[45] | B+ |
There have been variousspin-offs andtie-ins in a range of other media.
IDW Publishing has published a number ofUnderworld comics, which included adaptations ofUnderworld,Underworld: Evolution, andUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans, and the originalUnderworld: Red in Tooth and Claw, serving as a prequel toUnderworld featuring the character Lucian.[46] It is a 3-part comic book series featuringKevin Grevioux's character, Lycan-enforcer, Raze. Darkstorm Comics also published an adaptation ofUnderworld: Blood Wars.
Pocket Star Books publishednovelizations ofUnderworld,Underworld: Evolution, andUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans' written by Greg Cox, in addition to an original novel by Cox titledUnderworld: Blood Enemy; written beforeEvolution, it depicts an alternate origin to the war, based on such details as Sonja's initial portrayal as a blonde in flashbacks.
AHalf-Lifemod titledUnderworld: Bloodline was released in 2003.[47] Anaction game based on the first film titledUnderworld: The Eternal War was scheduled for release on thePlayStation 2 andXbox consoles in 2004, but it only saw release for the PlayStation 2 in Europe, and was cancelled in all other regions.[48]
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| Characters | |
| Other media |
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