Underworld (film series)
The Underworld series is a series of vampire/werewolf films directed by Len Wiseman and Patrick Tatopoulos. The first film, Underworld, was released in 2003, and the second film, Underworld: Evolution, was released in 2006. A prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, was released on January 23rd, 2009. A fourth film is currently in development.
Setting
In the Underworld universe, Vampires and Lycans are not supernatural creatures, but rather the product of a virus.
Alexander Corvinus was the only survivor of a plague that wiped out his village. Somehow, his body was able to mutate the virus, mold it to his own benefit and become the first immortal. He had three sons, of which two inherited his father's immortality and were bitten, one by bat and one by wolf, creating the Vampire and Lycan lines. Corvinus' third son, who did not inherit immortality, also carried the Corvinus Strain, hidden away in his genetic code — an exact duplicate of the original virus, passed along to his human descendants through the centuries. This, according to Singe, is the key to creating a hybrid.
Vampires vs. Lycans
Since that time, a war has broken out. The Lycans were enslaved by the Vampires, used as slaves to be the guardians of their lairs during the daylight hours, but they revolted during the Middle Ages. Both sides have their own lair and chain of command. Vampires have Death Dealers, vampire warriors charged to fight and kill the Lycan enemy. There are three Vampire elders. Rules and tradition demand that two be at rest while one is awake; this arrangement calls for each elder to rule for one century followed by two centuries of sleep.
Films
Underworld (2003)
Underworld tells the story of Selene, a Death Dealer bent on destroying Lycans as an act of revenge against the Lycans that 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-like Elder, Viktor.
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
After killing Viktor, Selene takes Michael to a Vampire safehouse and plans to return to Viktor's estate to awaken Markus, 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 doesn't 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 Lycan.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
A prequel to the original film, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans tells the origins of Lucian and Sonja, a Lycan and Vampire that must keep their love life a secret due to their races. After Sonja's father, Viktor, hears of her pregnancy by Lucian, he orders her immediate execution to prevent a combination of the two races. This devastating event causes Lucian to lead a Lycan uprising against Viktor, thus bringing the start of a war that will last for centuries to come.
Future
A fourth film is in development, it will be shot in 3-D and sources state that Beckinsale will reprise her role as Selene. There's a possibility of a fifth and sixth movie. Lakeshore's head boss has confirmed the rumors to Collider, saying that the 4th film will be the next sequel in the group focusing on continuing the story of Beckinsale and Speedman's story.
"It's a theatrical release definitely," Rosenberg tells the site. "I feel great about that. I think it's the strongest story that we've put together of the three. I think it's really terrific. I think it leads to a 4th. When we did the 1st 'Underworld,' we imagined three - the 1st one, a sequel and then a prequel. The 3rd is a prequel, so the 4th would carry on where Kate and Scott Speedman left off after 2, so I think this is going to be terrific really this one."
The fourth movie is currently aiming for a release date of January 21st, 2011.
Cast
The characters are in alphabetical order:
Reception
In other media
There have been various spin-offs and tie-ins in a range of other media.
Comics
IDW Publishing has published a number of Underworld comics, most recently announcing that Kevin Grevioux would write the adaptation of Rise of the Lycans.
Novels
In addition to the novelizations of Underworld, Underworld: Evolution and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, an original novel, Underworld: Blood Enemy has been published. All four books are authored by Greg Cox.
Video games
In July 2003, Sony contracted with Black Widow Games for the production of Underworld: Bloodline (a Half Life mod).
An action video game based on the first film was released for Playstation 2 and Xbox consoles in 2004. It is entitled Underworld: The Eternal War.
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