10.25.07
Been a long time coming, but further news has broken on the third Underworld
film - the prequel titled UNDERWORLD 3: THE RISE OF THE LYCANS. Hollywood
Reporter reports that Len Wiseman will not direct, only produce the
film with Danny McBride scripting. Special effects man Patrick Tatopoulos
will take up the director's seat this time. Unfortunately, Wiseman's
wife and extra sexy franchise star Kate Beckinsale will not return, but
Bill Nighy (Viktor) & Michael Sheen (Lucian) will. Short synopsis
is, "The prequel is set in the Dark Ages and traces the origins of the
centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires and their one-time
werewolf slaves, the Lycans." How this will offer us new storytelling
that hasn't already been covered in flashbacks is beyond me, but FH will
definitely post more plot details as they become available. It's
unknown at this time if this will indeed see a theatrical release, or if
Sony will relegate the franchise to direct-to-video hell. Whatever
the case, I can't imagine seeing this released much earlier than September
or October of next year as production will take place between January and
March, 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand.
5.20.06
MTV.com picked up an interview with franchise star Kate Beckinsale
about a third film for Underworld, and while one is seemingly moving
ahead, the extremely attractive Beckinsale probably won't be in it.
The wife of director Len Wiseman said, "I think it's a prequel before
I'm actually in it, so I think that won't include me if it happens."
Considering she's married to the screenwriter, I'd put some decent weight
to her statements. It is a shame because beyond being one seriously
sexy woman, she's a strong female lead for this franchise. In any
case, the DVD will be released in a few weeks, and will be released the
same day (June 6th) on the new high-definition Blu-Ray DVD format with
identical features at a retail price of $38.95. You can pre-order
the widescreen
or fullscreen
DVD versions from DVDEmpire.com.
3.27.06
DVDActive
has conjured up the full specs for the June 6th DVD release of Underworld:
Evolution. As of now, only a widescreen special edition is planned
for release, but I wouldn't doubt that an unrated extended edition might
be release down the line (like with the original Underworld).
Here are the details with a link to the cover art below:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
has announced Underworld Evolution which stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott
Speedman, Bill Nighy and Tony Curran. The disc will be available to own
from the 6th June, and should retail at around $28.95. The film itself
will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby
Digital 5.1 track. Extras will include a director and filmmaker’s commentary,
a making-of-featurette, a visual effects featurette, a creature featurette,
a stunts featurette, a design featurette, another featurette on the music
and sound design, and a bonus music video. The artwork is attached below:
UNDERWORLD2_DVD.JPG
3.3.06
On January 20, 2006, Underworld: Evolution opened to a $26.8
million box office gross, and the number one spot. Since then, the
sequel to 2003's Underworld from Sony Screen Gems has brought in
$61.6 million domestically, and $21.1 million overseas making its worldwide
total $82.7 million. I don't know what the budget was for this sequel,
but for a genre film like this, I would imagine that such a box office
in-take (coupled with the inevitable home video grosses) will ensure a
third film for this franchise. Director Len Wiseman has stated that
plans would be for a prequel, and yes, his wife and franchise star Kate
Beckinsale would have a place in such a film. Any further details
are unknown at this point since the rumor and news mill have been silent
since opening weekend. If any news breaks on the franchise's furthering,
FH will let you know. |
