The Underworld TV series is finally moving forward.
Len Wiseman, of production company Sketch Films, has announced that the series at last has some momentum behind it, with the intent of airing on either a premium cable channel or one of the various digital services that have arisen in the last few years. Underworld will be based on the infamous horror/action movie franchise starring Kate Beckinsale.
Wiseman has had some part in each of the Underworld movies, having directed and co-written the first two, although he stepped back to produce the latter three. Wiseman will serve as an executive producer on the series, working with Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, and Eric Reid of Lakeshore Entertainment, all of whom produced the earlier films, as well. Sony Entertainment’s TV division is also involved, although in an unspecified role. Previously, Sony handled the distribution of every Underworld installment.
Wiseman said of the series that it “will be a pretty big departure from the films. I don’t want to say it’s more adult, but it’s definitely less comic book in its tone and character.”
Underworld released its first film in 2003, with a story centered around Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire “Death Dealer” seeking revenge against the Lycans she believes to have killed her family. When she rescues a man who has served as the subject of Lycan experimentation, however, she learns a series of truths about her own family history, along with a plot to destroy the entire vampire hierarchy.
Between the five movies in the franchise, the property has collected more than half a billion dollars.
Speaking of potential casting, Wiseman did not reveal much about the process, though he did admit that “the right casting for this role is crucial. Those bare feet have some very big shoes to fill.”
Are you excited for an Underworld TV series? Or have Wiseman & Co. provided us with more than enough vampires in the last five films?
