Kate Beckinsale, the actress who portrays Selene in every film of the Underworld franchise, is doubtful that the series will continue with a sixth film. The series started with 2003’s Underworld, directed by Len Wiseman. The film introduced audiences to the franchise’s protagonist, Selene, a vampire warrior known as a Death Dealer who has dedicated her life to killing Lycans (werewolves). Underworld saw Selene uncover lies within her own vampire clan while she went about protecting, and falling in love with, a human named Michael. Alongside Beckinsale, the film also starred Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, and Scott Speedman. Underworld made over $95 million worldwide off a $22 million budget, and a franchise was born.
The first sequel, Underworld: Evolution, was released in 2006, and it continued Selene and Michael’s story. The 2009 prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, revealed the origins of the war between the vampires and Lycans. The storytelling within the franchise got a bit dicey with the fourth film, Underworld: Awakening, as it was clearly hindered by not having the actor who portrays Michael while still trying to further the story that revolves around him and Selene. The fifth film, 2016’s Underworld: Blood Wars, saw Selene continuing to fight to end the war between vampires and Lycans. A sixth film in the franchise has been rumored for years, but nothing concrete has been announced.
At the premiere of her new film Jolt, Beckinsale spoke with Variety, giving details on the doubtful manifestation of Underworld 6. While Beckinsale doesn’t think a sixth film will get off the ground, she seemed eager to jump back into character, even mentioning that she still has Selene’s leather pants, saying, “I know exactly where they are.” Beckinsale also divulged an interesting team-up she wanted to happen between Selene and Marvel’s Blade, saying, “I really wanted them to do an ‘Underworld’-‘Blade’ mashup.”
Beckinsale’s comments about the sixth film carry some weight as Underworld: Blood Wars saw the weakest opening of the franchise, which didn’t translate to box office gold. Box office returns are likely the only thing holding the franchise back, as reviews never seemed to hinder it. Every film in the franchise holds a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the lowest being Underworld: Evolution‘s 17% and the highest being the original Underworld‘s 31%. Even with critics never being kind to the franchise, it’s garnered a loyal following, as only the fifth installment holds a rotten fan rating.
Since 2003, the longest window between Underworld releases has been four years, which was the gap between 2012’s Awakening and 2016’s Blood Wars. It’s now been five years since the fifth installment’s release, which further feeds into the unlikely nature of a sixth film. If the franchise ends up lying dormant for too long, it’s possible that audiences will be treated to a reboot rather than a sequel, and the rumored Underworld TV show could finally come together. In the meantime, Beckinsale has continued to flex her action chops, and her new film Jolt hits Amazon Prime on July 23rd.
