Though the upcoming Underworld 5 won’t, strictly speaking, reboot the supernatural action franchise, today brings news that fans of the series may be surprised by what they find in the next installment. According to recent reports, Divergent actor Theo James, who played vampire David in 2013’s Underworld: Awakening, is attached to lead the fifth film, taking the reins from Kate Beckinsale.
David will be the central character in the series’ newest outing, which is being described as “an expansion of the existing universe.” And though David will be joined by two new female characters, Beckinsale is not expected to reprise the role of Selene. No word yet on whether the previously reported title Underworld: Next Generation is accurate, but that David, not Selene’s daughter Eve, is the focus of the fifth film indicates that Next Generation may have been little more than an empty rumor.
Cory Goodman (Priest, The Last Witch Hunter) will be penning the script for Lakeshore Entertainment. No additional details on what the fifth film will be about, but we’ll probably learn more when the two new female roles, casting for which is currently underway, are filled.
Lakeshore’s plan is to start shooting in the spring. Now that the Underworld franchise has tapped James as its new face, it will be put in the new position of having to work around its lead actor’s busy schedule. As opposed to Beckinsale, whose main franchise was Underworld, James has a lead role in the red-hot YA franchise Divergent, which just wrapped its second installment. Two more are on the way, so Lakeshore will likely have to be strategic with shooting times for Underworld 5.
Tell us, how do you feel about this news? Were you tiring of Beckinsale, or do you wish that Lakeshore had kept the focus on her protagonist? And is James capable of carrying the Underworld franchise? Let us know below!