Today, we’ve seen just about everything on films. We’ve seen kids with magic wands, people with extraordinary abilities and more. And of course, some films end up taking a much darker tone. They feature grim creatures such as werewolves and vampires. And this is precisely the case for the ‘Underworld’ film franchise.
The film franchise started way back in 2003. Since the beginning, ‘Underworld’ has always revolved around the character of Selene, a human-turned-vampire who becomes a member of the Death Dealers, a faction that hunts down lycans (werewolves). However, things become complicated for Selene when she meets a hybrid and discovers the truth about her elders.
Ever since the fifth ‘Underworld’ film came out in 2016, it’s become unclear if a sixth installment would be made. And while we wait for news, it may be fun to check out 15 things you never knew about the franchise:
15 In The Beginning, Halle Berry Was Considered For The Role Of Selene
According to the official ‘Underworld’ social media page, “Halle Berry was considered for the role of Selene. She went on to play Catwoman instead. We love Halle, but it's hard to imagine anyone other than Kate as Selene.” Berry may be a great actress, but we wound up with the right star.
14 Kate Beckinsale Only Agreed To Portray Selene After Seeing Character Drawings
According to AWN.com, Beckinsale recalled, “Len had done these really fantastic drawings of Selene and the werewolves, Beckinsale remembers. They were so cool and interesting and not old-fashioned gothic. There were really fresh and I thought, Wow! That's interesting, and I read the script. It's not like a comic book where she does somersaults and isn't a real character. She's flesh and blood.”
13 Michael Sheen And Wentworth Miller Were Both Considered To Play Michael Corvin
By this time, it’s hard to imagine anyone else other than Scott Speedman playing the role of the hybrid creature. Meanwhile, as you know, things eventually worked out for Michael Sheen as he ended up getting cast as the lycan leader, Lucian. However, Wentworth Miller went on to star in the long-running tv series “Prison Break.”
12 Kate Beckinsale Married Director Len Wiseman After Working Together On The First Film (But Was Originally In A Relationship With Co-Star Michael Sheen)
While filming the first ‘Underworld’ film, Beckinsale had been in a relationship with co-star Sheen. In fact, the two even share a daughter, Lily Mo Sheen. However, throughout production, Beckinsale worked closely with film director Len Wiseman. Later on, Beckinsale and Wiseman started dating and eventually, the two wed. Unfortunately, Wiseman and Beckinsale later divorced.
11 Kevin Grevioux Used His Natural Voice To Portray A Lycan
In the films, actor Kevin Grevioux portrayed a lycan with a very imposing presence. And as it turns out, his voice didn’t need any technical support for the film. According to ‘Underworld’s’ social media page, “Kevin Grevioux's voice is all natural, no effects or modulators were used, just pure talent.”
10 Rhona Mitra Was Considered To Play Selene, Before Getting Cast As Sonja
“The Last Ship” star Rhona Mitra was also considered to play the lead role in the franchise. In the end, however, the actress ended up playing a vampire named Sonja in “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.” In the story, Sonja is the daughter of vampire elder Viktor. She is executed after her father learned that she was having an affair with a lycan. Meanwhile, Viktor had great fondness for Selene because she reminded him of Sonja.
9 A Sequel And Prequel To The Film Were Approved Just Based On Ticket Sales Of The First Movie In Canada
According to a post on IMDb, “Days before its U.S. opening, the president of Screen Gems greenlit not only a sequel to the movie Underworld but also a prequel after seeing the number of tickets sold in Canada alone.” The first ‘Underworld’ film went on to make $95.7 million in the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers.
8 Michael Corvin’s Look Takes Five Hours To Put Together
According to a report from AWN.com, Speedman ended up spending five hours in the makeup chair to get his Michael Corvin look. Meanwhile, it takes seven people to get everything off. That process takes an hour and a half. In addition, visual effects supervisor Robert Duncan also explained, “We worked on top of a live-action plate of the character in their human form, developing them into their 'beast' form.”
7 Len Wiseman Opted For Minimal CGI For The First Film
According to IMDb, “Len Wiseman opted to shoot many of the action and effects sequences live, without computer imagery. In one scene, for instance, a werewolf seems to run more than 50 mph behind a speeding car. This was shot using an elaborate rig towed behind a vehicle, with actor Michael Sheen doing the closeups of the running and the jump onto the car, while the long shot of Lucian running was done by stuntman Todd Schneider.”
6 A Lawsuit For Copyright Infringement Was Filed Right Before The Release Of The First Film
Prior to the release of the first film, author Nancy A. Collins and White Wolf, Inc. filed a lawsuit against Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment, and Sony Pictures. The suit alleged that the film committed 17 counts of copyright infringement. In a press release, White Wolf president Mike Tinney remarked, “Ours is a huge fictional world, supported by over 200 volumes of fictional material. It’s infuriating to see Underworld’s script riddled with our property.”
5 The Attack Dogs In The First Film Were So Friendly That The Barking Sounds Had To Be Edited In
According to IMDb, “The 'attack dogs' outside of the vampire mansion were actually very docile and playful canines, which were the only dogs available at the time. For the scene where they chase Scott Speedman, director Len Wiseman had to film short clips of the dogs running and later put in sounds of vicious barking. If you look closely though you can see their tails happily wagging back and forth.”
4 The Werewolves Were Designed To Be As Life-Like As Possible, By The Same Guy That Brought Godzilla To Life
The guy in charge of creating the lycans is Patrick Tatopoulos, who is known for creating the American version of Godzilla. According to AWN.com, “The prosthetic suits were then constructed utilizing special stilts created by prosthetic limb manufacturers. The werewolves were designed to have 25 axes of rotation to give them lifelike movement and the look of an entire new breed of werewolf scary, but cool and hip.”
3 Underworld: Blood Wars Director Anna Foerster Was No Fan Of The Fourth Film, But Loved The First One
For Foerster, the fourth film “became more like a futuristic science fiction piece and what missed for me is that balance with mythology and history were two one dimensional and clean for me.” In contrast, Foerster noted that the first film “was quite extraordinary especially as a visual piece and creating a world that I have not seen before at that time.”
2 Producer David Kern Has Thought About Bringing Underworld And Resident Evil Films Together
According to Bloody Disgusting, Kern recalled, “I was having beers with a friend the other night who works on these movies and he brought it up. He said, that would be so smart to do. But then you wonder, all the Resident Evil fans are also all the same Underworld fans, I would think.” And if Selene were to fight against Alice, Kern believes that Selene would win because she’s “pretty gnarly.”
1 In Underworld: Blood Wars, There's A Combination Of Practical FX And CG
While speaking with Collider, “Underworld: Blood Wars” director Anna Foerster explained, “It’s a combination of all, like for Marius, Tobias, when he transforms, there’s a stage of, let’s say, warrior arousal when he just gets teeth and eyes. That’s the typical stuff we have seen before, just for him it’s a little bit different.” She later added, “When Marius transforms all the way he is a CG creature.”