Ever since theUnderworldfilm franchise kicked off in 2003, one thing has remained consistent about the series. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is the lead character who has helped the franchise through five movies in the series. However, there are rumors thatUnderworldcould return with a new movie, and it could do so without Beckinsale in the franchise. This series often lives with the title of a “guilty pleasure,” but I maintain that there’s always been a lot to love about the films, from the deep mythology to the switching of allegiances as the series moved on.
The franchise also survived after losing one of its main characters and starswhen Scott Speedman left theUnderworldseriesafter just two films. Speedman, who played Selene’s love interest, Michael Corvin, a Lycan/vampire hybrid, departed the franchise, and his character was killed off-screen. This didn’t hurt the first movie where he was gone, asUnderworld: Awakeningheld the highest box office totals of the series, at $160.1 million. However, whenUnderworld: Blood Warsarrived in 2016, the box office dropped to an all-time low, and the franchise has been dormant ever since.
Len Wiseman Hints More Underworld Is In The Works
Len Wiseman Created The Franchise In 2003
Len Wiseman directed the first twoUnderworldmovies based on scripts by Danny Flynn McBride (not to be confused with theEastbound & Downactor). While Wiseman left the director’s chair after those two releases, he remained onboard as a producer for the rest of the movies, which ended withUnderworld: Blood Wars. However, over 20 years after the franchise was launched,Wiseman has said that there was interest in moreUnderworldand the fan-favorite (yet critically slammed) franchise could return(viaEntertainment Weekly):
“There is a fashion that is in the works. I can’t talk about it, but there is a future toUnderworldfor sure.”
However, Wiseman also emphasized thathe was talking about anUnderworldtelevision series at that time. The most interesting thing about the TV series is that it was discussedbeforeUnderworld: Blood Warscame out. That movie’s failure at the box office might have doomed the TV series to sit dormant for so many years, but it seems Wiseman still had plans for it.
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Underworld: Blood Warstook things in a very different direction. In the previous movie, Michael’s survival was left open. However, he was clarified as dead in this film, and Selene moved on to a new relationship,this time with a vampire hybrid named David(played byDivergentactor Theo James). That movie ended with Selene, David, and a mighty vampire warrior named Lena being named as the new Elders, and Selene reunited with her and Michael’s daughter, Eve. The TV series was supposed to make them ruling characters and focus on new warriors.
Kate Beckinsale Is Not Guaranteed To Return
Beckinsale Said She Was Finished With The Underworld Franchise
IfUnderworldreturns as a TV show or a new sixth movie, it will likely be back without Kate Beckinsale as Selene. When asked about returning to the franchise in 2018,Beckinsale was clearabout her lack of desire, saying, “I wouldn’t return; I’ve done plenty of those.” She previously commented on why she did not want to return to more movies like this when she discussed turning down the chance to read for the role of Wonder Woman (viaCBR):
“I don’t know if I was desperate to be in a leotard. I’d already done the rubber trousers. You have to take in that you have a child at some point and how much could you possibly embarrass them.”
Beckinsale hasn’t stopped taking action movie roles, but her recent forays into the genre includeJolt(2021) andCanary Black(2024). Those films were a little more realistic and didn’t require her to wear a catsuit and perform wild martial arts stunts with swords. However,theUnderworldfranchise might be better off without Selene(and, vicariously, Beckinsale) in the new films. In the last movie, she takes on the role of an Elder, so there is no reason for her to be out fighting in the trenches anymore.
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One thing that hurt the lastUnderworldmovies was the lack of Michael Corvin. Fans didn’t want to see Selene with someone else, even though David was an interesting character. Selene’s story has also finished, anyway. She learned the truth about her parents. She eliminated the people responsible for their deaths. She wiped out most of the vampires and werewolves who only wanted war. She has nothing left to prove.Bringing back Selene would retread old storylinesand bring nothing new to the franchise.
Should Underworld 6 Focus On Eve?
Eve Was A Weak Point InUnderworld
The biggest addition inUnderworld: Awakeningswasintroducing Selene and Michael’s daughter, Eve. While that movie made more than any other in the franchise, it was also the last successful film released under the banner. Much of the reason for the disappointing sequelUnderworld: Blood Warswas that Scott Speedman’s Michael was gone, andEve didn’t work out well for most fans. Like her dad, she was a vampire hybrid, but it added another Super Lycan and complicated the mythology a little too much.
Losing Scott Speedman but continuing to mention Michael hurt the franchise more than it helped it.
Underworld: Blood Warsdid the smart thing by mostly eliminating Eve from the main storyline, and there is no reason to have her take on a central role in future movies or TV shows. Bringing back Eve would also draw too much attention to the fact that Selene is no longer in the franchise. IfUnderworldfans proved anything, it’s that losing Scott Speedman but continuing to mention Michael hurt the franchise more than it helped it.
What Could Be Next For Underworld?
The Next Generation Of Vampires & Werewolves Could Carry On
Although the last movie in the franchise was the least successful, it also opened the door to what could happen in the future of theUnderworldseries. The first film in the series painted the picture that the vampires were heroes hunting down the wild Lycans, but that turned out to be false, as the vampires started the war, and the werewolves were as much victims as monsters. By the time the last movie rolled around,the Lycans had turned the tables and were now the true villains, although vampires were far from innocent.
The series concluded with Selene and David ending the war with the Lycans by stopping their new leader, Marius, and creating a new temporary peace. The perfect place to start would be this new shaky truce and the idea of humans as villains, whichUnderworld: Awakeningsintroduced. There is no reason to have Selene involved in newUnderworldmovies other than as a figurehead that the vampires and werewolves know about and the person responsible for creating the new world where these monsters now live.Underworldwithout Kate Beckinsale is the best way for the franchise to continue.
