Vampires and werewolves have unquestionably been the two most intriguing horror movie subjects throughout history. The genre has been blessed with numerous remarkable films, ranging from classics to charming modern-day additions.
The Underworld franchise, on the other hand, steals the show with its sheer novelty in combining vampires and werewolves in its plots. Vampires and werewolves are frequently at odds in dark, gritty, and deadly stories, and the lengthy and convoluted conflict has been beautifully explained over the course of some excellent horror-action films.
The franchise has achieved new heights with five full-length features, and the fan base has been continuously growing. Before we get to see another new installment in the series, we thought we’d share some lesser-known facts about the films.
Stay tuned to have your mind blown as we reveal some behind-the-scenes tidbits that will make watching the movies even more fun! If you’re a fan of the Underworld franchise and vampires and werewolves pique your interest in horror, stay tuned to have your mind blown as we reveal some behind-the-scenes tidbits that will make watching the movies even more fun!
The Curious Origin of Selene
The character of Selene was easily one of the biggest attractions in the Underworld movies. She is literally the core of the stories, and this deadly assassin is trained to hunt down the Lycans. However, she soon learns certain secrets about the conflict that changes her perspective. This character was inspired by Greek mythology, and the X-Men fans will be able to relate to her presence in the X-Men universe.
She was reportedly modeled after the psychic vampire known as the Black Queen Selene, and this was the oldest living mutant. She has quite an interesting storyline in the New Mutants #9 storyline, and the makers certainly took heart from this feisty character as they designed Selene for the series. Kate Beckinsale took to the role like a fish to the water, and her performances were one of the talking points after the success of the movie.
The casting of Kate Beckinsale was a happy accident
As we often see with iconic movies, the star of the narrative, the main talking point is often a role that was supposed to go to someone else! Underworld is no exception, and the role of Selene, which is the lasting and most impactful character in the franchise, was supposed to go to Halle Berry initially. But, she had a very tight schedule and couldn’t allot dates for the shoot, which brought Kate Beckinsale into consideration. Halle Berry went on to star in Catwoman instead, and the movie didn’t really work wonders for her career!
While there is no denying the fact that Halle Berry is a supremely-talented actress, it has to be said that right now it is tough to imagine anyone else as Selene! Even Kate was initially hesitant about the role, but the director Len Wiseman managed to convince her with his wonderful sketches of the character he envisioned. She later recalled the sketches to be extremely innovative and interesting, and after reading the script she was immediately on board to don the hat of Selene. The tragic nature of the character was appealing to her, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Playing Selene was no child’s play
Being selected for a role is one thing, and essaying it to perfection is another story altogether! Kate Beckinsale found out about the challenges of the role the hard way, and she soon realized that she would need to undergo some professional training to pull it off. The character demanded a lot of action sequences, and she went through a rigorous program to brush up on her fighting skills. Her fitness levels had to be top-notch because she had to run and jump and throw a punch effortlessly. The latex suit wasn’t the easiest thing to wear and perform the stunts, but to her credit, she mastered the tricks pretty quickly.
A few blooming relationships!
On the sets of the movie, an adorable relationship was brewing between Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen. Ironically enough, they were paired on opposite sides of the insane supernatural conflict, but that didn’t slow down the romance. In fact, they had met a long time back, and were already in a steady relationship before the movie was filmed.
She was the one who recommended Michael Sheen for the role, and the director Len Wiseman was quick to oblige because he fit the bill perfectly. The couple eventually separated, but they have a daughter named Lily Mo, and they remain on very good terms even after splitting. Later, Kate Beckinsale went on to date and marry the director Len Wiseman, and clearly, the movie had the roots of some blooming relationships! Romance, however, comes with an expiry date more often than not, and the couple filed for divorce in 2016.
Michael Corvin’s makeup look was as tricky as it looks
Although Selene steals the show as one of the primary protagonists, the character of Michael Corvin is almost as important. He was a vampire-werewolf hybrid and went on to become Selene’s love interest, but a far trickier thing to handle was his immaculate makeup. Reportedly, the process took over five hours, and the actor had to sit patiently on the makeup chair to get his look right. It took as many as seven people working together to take the makeup off, and even this process would take over an hour. Clearly, developing a character from a human form to its beast form is no easy task!
Canada ensured the sequel and prequel
This one might sound tricky, but this is exactly how things happened! A few days before being released in the United States, the president of the production house had already announced a sequel and a prequel to turn it into a booming franchise. The reason behind his sudden enthusiasm can be attributed to the magical ticket sales in Canada, where there was a massive craze behind the release of the movie.
Later, the movie turned out to be a huge hit in the US as well, even after most critics came down harshly on the film. However, it is funny to learn that the release of Underworld: Evolution and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was already ensured before the box office results. Clearly, Canadians have a taste for their slice of vampire and werewolf drama!
Minimal CGI for the first Underworld movie won the fans over
We have nothing against some of the breathtaking CGI that we see nowadays, but there is no debating the fact that half-baked CGI can cause some serious problems. When the first Underworld movie was being made, CGI was not exactly up to the modern standards, the director Len Wiseman was more of a purist who wanted very minimal CGI in the movie.
This did pose a challenge for some of the scenes, but the cast and crew worked together to sort things out. There were some innovative moves adopted by the director to shoot some of the particularly difficult action scenes, such as the werewolf chasing a speeding car, but the final results deserve all the applause!
The werewolf designs were handled by the guy who created the American version of Godzilla
How many werewolf movies have you watched go down the drain simply because of poor effects and designs! The true horror fans would know the disappointment all too well, but luckily for us, the Underworld movies never fell short in these departments. The credit is largely due for Patrick Tatopoulos, the guy who was tasked with designing the lycans. He had previously worked to create the American version of Godzilla, and he clearly knew his way around designs and prosthetics. He roped in special prosthetic suits, and the lifelike rotation in the werewolf suits ensured that they looked a bit too lifelike and intimidating.
Underworld: Evolution had to go through some serious edits
Some major edits had to be handled by the director to avoid the censors slamming a mature audience-only rating. Underworld: Evolution had to deal with such struggles because there were some steamy scenes involving Selene and Michael that turned out to be a bit too raunchy for comfort. Besides the fear of the ratings, actress Kate Beckinsale also backed out from the possibility of full-frontal nudity.
The sensuous moment between the duo had to be cut down a lot, and the scene was initially supposed to be a lot longer with a lot more skin show by the actress. The director later claimed that the DVD release would have some of these deleted scenes, but that was not the case! Disappointment truly comes from surprising corners, even such trivia, doesn’t it!
How about an Underworld and Resident Evil crossover?
If you sit down to count the similarities between the two franchises, you will find plenty! Both, for instance, have a strong female lead character, and both involve some rough and tough fights with stunning effects. There has often been a debate regarding the greatness of the two franchises, pitting them against each other, but few are aware that there was once a plan to bring the two worlds together!
It was revealed during the promotional events of Underworld: Blood Wars, where the producer David Kern let the idea out in the open. However, there were plenty of technical difficulties in making this work. Firstly, the two franchises are owned by different companies, and an agreement between them is never going to be a cakewalk. Secondly, such crossovers often undermine one and uplift the other – a stunt that would offend the fans of the undermined series. Even Paul Anderson stated that even though it was a lucrative idea, it was almost an impossible task to bring about a successful crossover.
The Crossover saga continues
Resident Evil is not the only franchise that was thought of as teaming up with the Underworld series. Some other big names were in the plan, and the Blade franchise almost ended up having a successful crossover with Underworld. When Marvel Studios was approached with the offer, they immediately refused, ending any chances of the magical combination of Selene and Blade hunting down vampires by the dozens! Later, it was learned that Marvel was keen to keep this character separate and wanted to handle the developments on their own terms. The fans never got to witness the dream combo, but it surely would have been a mouth-watering proposition!
The movie I, Frankenstein which was released by Lionsgate also planned to have a crossover with the Underworld franchise. But the movie was greeted by rather poor reviews, and it raised serious concerns regarding the possibility of a future endeavor. Besides, the movie starred some of the actors seen in Underworld movies, and that can be quite confusing for the viewers. Although the creator Kevin Grevioux is quite eager to make it happen, it is very unlikely that you will see this crossover!
Copyright Issues troubled the first Underworld film
Before the first Underworld movie was released, it ran into some serious trouble and was taken to court for copyright infringement. An author named Nancy A. Collins claimed that the narrative was based on her short story titled, “The Love of Monsters”, which was all about the forbidden relationship developing between a werewolf and a vampire.
The author cited multiple similarities between the movie and her work, and eventually, like most such cases, the lawsuit was settled privately outside court. Even White Wolf Inc was miffed with Underworld makers for using parts of their fictional property, and it must have been quite a settlement to come to an agreement!
Promoted as Romeo and Juliet’s equivalent in horror
Well, we simply cannot deny the underlying similarity in the concepts between the two. Romeo and Juliet is all about the forbidden relationship that cannot materialize into something fruitful, and Selene’s relationship is not much different. Her bond with a rival clan member, their budding romance, and the course of events were clearly similar in line with Romeo and Juliet. The creators used this as a marketing strategy and at times they promoted this as a horror flick involving werewolves and vampires, which would have an unforgettable Romeo-Juliet-like love story. Clearly, they weren’t wrong!
When a natural human voice is good enough to be a Lycan voice!
Yes, this one is absolutely bizarre, but it is exactly what happened when actor Kevin Grevioux was supposed to portray a lycan. During the auditions, the makers found out that his original voice required no modification or modulation and it could be passed off directly as a lycan voice. His imposing presence was further enhanced because of the natural talent of the actor to portray the perfect Lycan voice without any effects!
The attack dogs were a bit too friendly
Remember the scenes with the attack dogs in the first Underworld movie? Well, these vicious dogs outside the vampire mansion turned out to be quite the opposite of what their job description demanded! These canines were a bit too playful and friendly, and unfortunately for the makers, these were the only dogs available during this time.
During one of the scenes, where the dogs are supposed to chase someone, the director had to film the dogs running, and later complete the scene with the sounds of dangerous dogs barking. A closer look would actually reveal the wagging tails of the happy dogs in the scene, and they simply wouldn’t bark like that!
It is heartening for us horror fans to watch such a successful franchise flourish with the theme of a classic rivalry between the vampires and werewolves. While the fans of the series are eagerly waiting for Underworld 6 to happen, Kate Beckinsale seems to think of it as unlikely.
There are even reports that she might not be considered for the role any longer, and someone else will have to fill her shoes. However, as of now, there is no news of the movie having gone into production, and it will certainly be a huge financial risk for the studio this time around. As you keep your fingers crossed for a possible addition to the series, we hope that these fun facts behind the movies will keep your spirits high!