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Underworld 4 Gets A Writer, Confirmed As Sequel

Rob Keyes — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:57:57 +0000

The Heat Vision Blog reported yesterday that John Hlavin, a writer from the series The Shield, has signed on to write the script for Underworld 4.

They’re also reporting that Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films and poster girl of the franchise has yet to sign on and they do not have a director. However, Hlavin does confirm that the film is a sequel and that it will definitely appeal to fans of the first movies.

Check out what Hlavin says below which definitely hint at the fan-favorite character making a return.

“I can tell you it’s not a prequel… It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don’t want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements.”

What we also know about the franchise as reported in August and September is that Underworld 4 will be in 3D, it will kickstar a second trilogy of films for the franchise and it will likely bring back Kate Beckinsale. It was already reported back then by some with reliable sources that the movies will again center on Beckinsale’s character of Selene so none of this comes as a shock.

Don’t be surprised to find out in the near future that Kate will be back. There’s been no talk of Scott Speedman and his character Michael Corvin however.

What do you think of this news?

Source: THR

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2009 Scream Award Nominations

Ross Miller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:37:08 +0000

The nominees have been announced for the fourth annual Scream Awards, held every year by Spike TV. The decisively more “fan-friendly” award ceremony (compared to the Oscars) honors films from the sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic-book genres of movies, TV shows and comic books. The awards are described as, “the first and only global event of its kind,” to honor those genres.

The Scream 2009 nominees were chosen by the Advisory Board of Hollywood and Genre Leaders, a list which this year includes the likes of Wes Craven, Roland Emmerich, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Eli Roth and Zack Snyder, plus many more. The event will be taped on Saturday, October 17th this year at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and will air on Spike TV ten days later on Tuesday, October 27th (check for local times).

Along with the awards, the show will also be airing some exclusive, world premiere of footage of some of the most anticipated movies of 2010! Presenters and musicians for the event are to be announced shortly.

Below is the list of a selection of the 32 categories from this year’s Scream nominations. For those of you (all of you?) who want to have YOUR say on which film should win, you’re in luck! Public voting for the awards has opened already and will run right up to October 17th. But before you head off to vote, here are some of the nominees:

BEST FANTASY MOVIE

“Coraline”

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

“Twilight”

“Up”

“Watchmen”

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

BEST HORROR MOVIE

“Dead Snow”

“Drag Me to Hell”

“Friday the 13th”

“Let the Right One In”

“My Bloody Valentine 3D”

“Splinter”

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE

“Dragonball Evolution”

“Punisher: War Zone”

“The Spirit”

“Watchmen”

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

BEST VILLAIN

Eric Bana as Nero; “Star Trek”

Cam Gigandet as James; “Twilight”

Lorna Raver as Mrs. Ganush; rag Me to Hell”

Liev Schrieber as Victor Creed/Sabretooth; “X-Men”

Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman; “True Blood”

BEST DIRECTOR

J.J. Abrams; “Star Trek”

Tomas Alfredson; “Let the Right One In”

Michael Bay; “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

Pete Doctor & Bob Peterson; “Up”

Duncan Jones; “Moon”

Sam Raimi; “Drag Me to Hell”

BEST TV SHOW

Battlestar Galactica

Dexter

Fringe

Lost

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

True Blood

BEST ACTOR IN A FANTASY MOVIE OR TV SHOW

Ed Asner, “Up”

Hugh Jackman, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

Robert Pattinson, “Twilight”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

Michael Sheen, “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans”

BEST ACTRESS IN A FANTASY MOVIE OR TV SHOW

Scarlett Johansson, “The Spirit”

Jamie King, “The Spirit”

Rhona Mitra, “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans”

Kristen Stewart, “Twilight”

Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

For the rest of the nominees you can head over to Spike.com, where you can also cast your votes.

Although some of the awards are truly suspect (how the hell The Spirit got nominated for ANYTHING is beyond me), I still like the overall celebration of the type of sci-fi, fantasy, comic book and horror films we here at Screen Rant revel in Although I won’t go into a specific rundown of who I think should win, I’d like to throw my opinion in the ring for a few of them:

Lost should win Best TV Show (I love Dexter, but it’s no Lost); Best Horror Movie should go to Let The Right One In (I would say Drag Me To Hell, but since that’s a comedy too, Let The Right One takes it for me); Best Actor in a Fantasy Movie Or TV Show should go to Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; and Best Comic Book Movie should (EASILY) go to Watchmen.

But enough from me, what and who will YOU vote for? As stated, you can cast your votes over at Spike.com, and you can see if the winners match your picks when the Scream Awards 2009 air on October 27th this year on Spike TV.

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Kate Beckinsale to Return to the Underworld?

Rob Keyes — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:50:28 +0000

This week in movie news the Underworld franchise is making a big splash. From news of a fourth movie in planning that would move the franchise into the 3D trend, to an update that Screen Gems is looking to launch a second full trilogy, it looked like Underworld would be around for a long time.

The rumored plan is that the new trilogy would hopefully bring back Kate Beckinsale’s character and now it seems we may be very close to getting confirmation that the star of the franchise will be back in the fan-favorite role as the death-dealing vampire, Selene.

According to two sources of our friend Brad Miska at Bloody Disgusting, Kate Beckinsale is set to return to the franchise. However, they’ve been unable to get official confirmation as of yet.

My guess is that Beckinsale will return. The continuous Underworld updates this week keep building on each other and there will definitely be something major soon. This is arguably her most famous role and she has a relatively open schedule at the moment. As the star of the franchise, fans and the studio want her back so she can help drive the franchise to more success in the future.

Kate, please do this for us

Let’s not forget that the next Underworld movie is coming in 3D. Now that the movie has a recognizable brand name, bringing back the star and presenting the next film in the 3D format will build a lot of hype and should allow for some significant growth at the box office.

No word yet on other actors/character returning, but if these movies are sequels, we can expect Scott Speedman to make a return (his schedule is also open at the moment).

Expect more news on this soon.

Are you excited to see Kate back in action as the leather-clad Death Dealer?

Source: Bloody Disgusting

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Not One, But Three More Underworld Movies?

Rob Keyes — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:43:27 +0000

If you thought the news of Underworld 4 coming our way in 3D was a surprise, how about the idea of an entire new trilogy of Underworld films!

According to Ryan Rotten at ShockTillYouDrop.com, insiders have informed him that Sony’s Screen Gems is looking to launch not one new film, but three. Interestingly, the report claims that they’re looking at the story centering in on the character of Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale in the original two Underworld films.

Nothing’s confirmed yet, but bringing back the hot star of the first two is what many fans wanted instead of the Rise of the Lycans prequel.

Will this take place also before the first Underworld or will it follow her after the events of Underworld: Evolution? Could this mean that Scott Speedman will be back as well and we’ll get to see what happens with the characters after the crazy ending of Evolution?

Ryan also points out that Patrick Tatopoulos, who’s worked on all three films and directed the third, will not be back for the fourth installment due to his other commitments.

Like I mentioned in the comments of our last Underworld post, these films are very easy to finance with their $25-35 million dollar budgets and they’ve generally banked around $100 million at the box-office. So, it’s an easy decision to move forward with more, especially if they can bring back the star which I mentioned was important. We need some familiar faces returning and they’ve done a solid job of tying each film to the previous.

Let’s hope they continue with the same and we get more than just an excuse to sell another 3D gimmick. I want story and action.

What do you think of three more Underworld films, possibly all in 3D?

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com

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Underworld 4 On Its Way in 3D

Rob Keyes — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:35:32 +0000

Some franchises never stop. Even after rounding off the trilogy with a prequel earlier this year, it’s not so surprising that the Underworld series is reportedly set to pop out another film during the current pop-culture vampire craze.

According to ShockTillYouDrop.com’s exclusive, Sony’s Screen Gems is planning to make a fourth installment in the Underworld franchise… and it’s going to be in 3D.

There are no details yet on who will star in the film or what the movie will be about but I’d expect we’d see at least some franchise familiars return. They’ve done a great job so far of tying the films together and bringing back characters big and small to tell each story. Could we get another Kate Beckinsale-Scott Speedman team-up or perhaps some more Michael Sheen prequel action? Maybe it’ll be neither.

What I’m afraid of is the fact that they’re doing this in 3D. That screams gimmick to me and I feel that’s the only reason they’re making it at this point. It could have little to do with the other installments and may bring back none of the main characters we know from the franchise.

I hope that’s not the case as I have my fun with the Underworld movies. I’m fine with seeing more as long as there’s some story to tell and we’re treated to some cool action. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans served its purpose as a prequel and played out exactly as expected, although it was nothing special.

Len Wiseman produced all three films so far and directed the first two, with Patrick Tatopoulos having directed this year’s prequel. Expect Wiseman to again produce.

Screen Rant will get back to you with more Underworld updates as soon as they come.

What do you think of another Underworld movie and where/when do you think it’ll take place? Who’d you like to see be in it?

This fourth Underworld movie is aiming for a January 2011 release.

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com

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New Posters: Underworld, Fast & Furious, Land Of The Lost

Rob Keyes — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:02:58 +0000

Here we have a few new posters for your viewing pleasure, including the very firsts for Fast & Furious and Land of the Lost.

Land of the Lost is a comedy which follows a forest ranger and his two kids who mistakenly end up in the land of dinosaurs (and other creatures). It stars Will Ferrell, Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) and Danny R. McBride (Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder).

I’m pretty big fan of Danny McBride now that I think of it. I think he was pretty hilarious in Pineapple Express and I like how he came out of nowhere two years ago and is now in a lot of the biggest comedies each year. I don’t know much about this movie but if the dinosaurs don’t look terrible, this should be a fun (and funny) flick – if you’re a Will Ferrel fan.

Next we have the first poster for Fast & Furious (Fast and the Furious 4). I wasn’t a big fan of the second or third installments but I did like how they tied together the Tokyo Drift movie with the originals by having Vin Diesel appear with a cameo at the end. This newest installment brings back all the characters from the first movie and from the teaser trailer released back in I pretty excited for this film.

Lastly, we have the third poster for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. This one features my favorite, Lucian, and is in the same style as the last two posters which featured Viktor and Sonja.

Land of the Lost hits theaters June 5, 2009. Fast & Furious debuts April 3, 2009. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans comes out January 23, 2009.

Sources: IGN, MTV, Cinematical

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Another New ‘Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans’ Poster

Rob Keyes — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:27:56 +0000

A few weeks back I wrote about a pile of new movie posters and that pile included the first official poster for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Here we have the second official poster for the prequel of the vampire franchise thanks to UGO.

The first poster featured Bill Nighy who reprises his role as Viktor, a leader of the vampire nation. This new poster features new-to-the-series Rhona Mitra (of Doomsday fame) who plays Sonja, daughter of Viktor of whom the story focuses on.

The poster looks fine to me, although nothing special, it fulfills its purpose. Much like the first poster, we’re again treated to the blue overlay, some medieval stylistic clothing and background, and the infamous light-blue eyes of the vampire protagonist as we’ve come to expect from the series.

Take a look for yourself:

What do you think? Do you dig Rhona Mitra as the new lead femme fatale, or do you miss and prefer Kate Beckinsale’s Selene as the lead vampire?

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad to see Lucian back in action with his lycan friends. Don’t forget to check out the trailer if you haven’t yet. That can be found here.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans hits theaters January 23, 2009

Source: UGO

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A Big Pile Of New Movie Posters

Rob Keyes — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:43:31 +0000

Today we have a pile of new posters we’ve been collecting throughout the week from a variety of sources.

These include the final poster for The Spirit, the first posters for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and new posters for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Lost: Season 5, Red Sonja, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

That’s a lot of posters!

Without going into too much detail about what I like/dislike about each one, I’ll say that they’re all pretty good, actually.

Take a look and see what you think:

For Underworld, this poster definitely serves its purpose with Bill Nighy’s character Viktor sitting on the throne – simple, but epic for fans of the first two installments. As always, the poster is dark and drenched with a blue overlay.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans poster

For Benjamin Button, the posters are a little bland but together are pretty clever with the reversed text on the one featuring Brad Pitt, referring to his reversing age in the film. I’m not too sure the movie will be a massive box office hit, but it will probably be Oscar material and I’ll definitely be seeing it.

Cate Blanchett featured in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Spirit poster references earlier posters which were not good but I actually dig this one a bit (don’t hurt me, Vic!). The prior posters weren’t cool on there own but put together with this better color-scheme and design, it’s pretty cool and aesthetically pleasing I think.

Final Poster for The Spirit

As for Lost, I love that show and this poster simply shows off what the next season will be about – the split of on-island and off-island characters.

Poster for Lost Season 5

Ice Age 3 and Red Sonja serve their purpose (and respective target audiences) fine I suppose.

Red Sonja poster

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs poster

So, any thoughts or favorites?

Sources: The Movie Blog (Red Sonja), Shock Till You Drop (Underworld), Aint It Cool News (Lost), First Showing (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Filmofilia (Ice Age 3), Coming Soon (The Spirit)

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First Trailer For Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

Rob Keyes — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:09:56 +0000

Apple has released the first official trailer for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and if you enjoyed the first two Underworld films, then you’re in for a treat!

Rise of the Lycans is the third Underworld film in the franchise but is a precursor to the last two installments representing an origins story leading up to the events of the first Underworld.

It’ll be a slight adjustment to see an Underworld film without the stars of old; Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman as Selene and Corvin, respectively. Replacing the butt-kicking female leader we now have Rhona Mitra who plays Sonja, the vampire who fell in love with a lycan. Other than the two leads, the film is loaded with all the familar faces of the prior two installments.

If you remember from the first Underworld, it was that relationship and what it resulted in that led to the centuries-long war between the vampires and lycans. Mitra made her mark and pumped up her profile with her role as the lead in Doomsday, where similar to this, she plays a one-woman army. She was also the focus of the latest Batman 3 rumor where she was said to be a possibility to portray Catwoman.

Here’s the trailer. Check it out and see what you think:

[See post to watch Flash video]

Well, I’m in! This looks pretty bad-ass to me. Although it’s a little extreme on the blue overlay, I dig it and it worked for the other two. I’m a pretty big fan of the first Underworld, not so much the second. This one brings back a lot of the awesome secondary and tertiary characters of the first film, namely Michael Sheen as Lucian, the leader of the Lycans (my personal favourite) and Bill Nighy.

What do you think of the trailer? Do you like the idea of it being prequel?

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans hits theaters January 23rd, 2009.

Source: Apple

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