10 Interesting Things We Bet You Never Noticed About Underworld Movies
While the popularity of dark action films with dark moods is continually fading, one of the franchises which have proven to keep its head above the water is the Underworld. And indeed, it has continued to be a successful franchise.
The current installment is the venerable vampires and werewolves with guns franchise. I bet this is all one would need in underworld movies.
There is so much to enjoy, the vampire-werewolf eroticism, politics, and much more geared towards maintaining an ancient lineage. If you watch Underworld movies, you can attest to the fact that the franchise has greatly evolved, and there are good reasons for its survival.
And if you’re new to these films or a staunch fan, there’re interesting things that you will learn or you may have never noticed concerning the franchise.
Let’s find out what they are.
1. Harry Berry, Rhona Mitra, and Milla Jovovich were considered for the role of Selene
Though Selene was the main protagonist in the Underworld, others also took part. This has been portrayed by; Halle Berry who at one point also became a serious contender. Others considered were Rhona Mitra who appeared as Sonja in the Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and Milla Jovovich starred in Resident Evil.
2. The Vampire werewolf hybrid Michael Corvin brought to life
Selene never wanted to leave Michael’s body alone, and so her quest was that she moves along with his body in the helicopter to William’s lair. And since a hybrid is believed to possess incredible healing powers, Michael’s body was to regenerate and he came back to life.
Later, Michael goes to William’s prison in an attempt to save Selene and eventually makes it and rips his head. Selene and Michael can be seen kissing passionately.
3. Selene and Scott Speedman’s sex scene was deleted
Kate Beckinsale demanded that all shots that would show her completely nude be deleted; the scene was heavily edited.
The filming belonged to Kate Beckinsale and her husband Scott Speedman, who were completely naked. This made Kate fear that the film would receive an NC-17 rating which forced Len Wiseman to edit it to prevent any negative occurrences. Then the blanks were filled in with speculations.
4. Minimal CGI incorporated in the first film
Len Wiseman chooses to shoot and have most of the effect and action sequence live with a few computer imageries. Most of the action scenes are accomplished by skilled stuntmen, one instance is explained by the IMDB where a werewolf is seen running over 50mph behind a fast-moving vehicle.
The shot was made from a complex rig tugged behind the car. The acts were carried out by actor Michael Sheen who did the closeups of the car jump while stuntman Todd Schneider did the long shot of Lucian run.
5. Huge ticket sale of the first movie in Canada
There was a huge number of tickets sold in Canada during the first Underworld(2003) film; this happened days before its opening in the United States.
According to Screen Gems president’s comment, there was not only a sequel to the movie but a prequel due to the ticket sales, despite it having received unfavorable reviews from critics. It grossed $95M against a production budget of $22M.
6. Romeo And Juliet for Vampires And Werewolves
Long before Edward and Bella emerged in the Twilight saga, Selene and Michael Corvin were the ones with the O.G power in the werewolves and vampire world. Both species, the vampire and the Lycans seem to have some humanity in them and have greatly gained from such abilities.
7. Selene and Michael Sheen were in an 8-year romance during filming
Michael Sheen or Lucian and Kate Beckinsale were in a relationship at the time of filming. They met during The Seagull production and stayed for 8 years together. They even had a daughter named Lily who later appeared in Underworld: Evolution as young Selene. Selene met and married her now ex Len Wiseman on the shoot.
8. Wentworth Miller and Michael Sheen were considered for Michael Corvin’s role
While both were considered for Michael Corvin’s role, the starring role fell on Scott Speedman. Michael Sheen did a good job to portray the werewolf leader Lucian while Wentworth Miller appeared as a medical intern starring Adam Lockwood.
9. Kevin Grevioux as Raze in the Underworld series
Kevin, an American actor was well known for his role as Raze in the Underworld series. He is also involved in the creation of lady Selene in the movies.
However, people thought that some special effects were applied to deepen his voice. But his natural speaking voice, which matches his role is that deep, and no modulators needed to be used.
10. David Bowie was to make an appearance
Though Len Wiseman had a deep concern to see the late legendary David Bowie make an appearance in the vampire dinner scene, this never happened due to scheduling conflicts. David was a guy who tended to make everything graceful and had no love of hostility.
Conclusion
It’s not a wonder that fans are intrigued to know more about the minor details they may have missed from the Underworld movies. However, what remains a mystery is whether the series will have a sixth film.
According to Selene, it’s unlikely that it will happen, and since it has been inactive for almost 2 years since the release of Underworld: Blood Wars, we can only wait.
