When it comes to action movies, Underworld is the gothic horror franchise that can't seem to rest
in peace. But if more sequels are on the way, the series' leading lady won't be coming along.
Let's take a look at why Kate Beckinsale won't be back for more Underworld.
As it crashed into cinemas at the tail end of 2003's summer movie season,
"Underworld" vividly re-imagined what vampire fiction could be
by positioning its blood-sucking beasts square in the middle of a full-blown action epic.
In the process, it made a legit action superstar out of actress Kate Beckinsale. Perhaps more
surprisingly, "Underworld" launched the vampires vs. werewolves franchise the cinematic world never
knew it needed, and essentially put low-budget genre studio Screen Gems on the Hollywood map.
To date, Screen Gems and their partners at Lakeshore Entertainment have produced
three sequels and one prequel for their flagship franchise,
and Kate Beckinsale has appeared as "Death Dealer" Selene in every single one of them.
The most recent "Underworld" flick, subtitled "Blood Wars,"
hit theaters in 2016, and wasn't particularly well received by either critics or audiences.
That sort of performance rarely means great things for a movie series, and to
further complicate the "Underworld" producers' potential dreams of Selene's future adventures,
it appears that Beckinsale has joined the ranks of people who don't want anything
to do with the franchise. In a 2018 Variety interview, the actress gave
some candid remarks about certain roles she'd passed or, it turns out, had left behind.
When asked about the possibility of making another "Underworld" movie, she was blunt.
"I wouldn't return. I've done plenty of those."
Even by Hollywood standards,
that curt response doesn't leave much wiggle room for future appearances.
"I have seen so much war. So much killing. I can't bear more."
If you're among the few "Underworld" fans who actually bought a ticket and experienced
"Blood Wars" in theaters, you probably aren't too heartbroken over Beckinsale's outright dismissal.
After all, "Blood Wars" really was a bit of a mess, and its less than enthusiastic reviews are
enough to give an impression that the franchise itself might feel a bit long in the fang.
While Beckinsale didn't really address why she's ready to move on from "Underworld" for good,
it's a reasonably safe bet that she's grown as weary of the franchise's neo-gothic
escapades as critics and viewers seem to have. That's hardly a surprise,
given that the actor was never really the blockbuster franchise sort.
It's easy to forget, but Beckinsale actually came up in showbiz on the strength of her work
in smaller-scaled projects like "Much Ado About Nothing," "The Golden Bowl," and "Laurel Canyon."
In the years since her "Underworld" breakout, Beckinsale has continued to dip her toe in the
indie cinema pool every once in a while, balancing these projects with larger-scale
fare like "Click." For instance, Beckinsale's 2016 reunion with her "The Last Days of Disco" director
Whit Stillman for the tragically underrated period piece, "Love & Friendship," earned rave reviews
... and came out the same year as "Underworld: Blood Wars." Which career path would you choose?
"Oh, I can't decide!"
Per a 2017 interview with Yahoo, while addressing the rumors of her playing Wonder Woman,
Beckinsale acknowledged that part of why she passed on the role was out of a desire not
to appear in Princess Diana's famously short-skirted outfit and embarrass her
daughter. In her statement, Beckinsale clearly addressed her "Underworld" getup, as well.
"I don't know if I was desperate to be in a leotard. I'd already
done the rubber trousers. You have to take in that you have
a child at some point and how much could you possibly embarrass them."
It would seem, then, that Kate Beckinsale wasn't too keen on those "rubber trousers" throughout her
"Underworld" tenure. Whether or not the thought of squeezing back into that skin-tight ensemble
another time fueled Beckinsale's decision to leave the franchise for good remains a mystery,
but it sounds like the pants may have factored into the process.
Whatever the reason behind Beckinsale's decision to leave the "Underworld" franchise is,
one thing is certain: It definitely isn't because she's feeling too old for action roles.
In a 2020 interview with Women's Health, the then 46-year-old actress discussed her healthy diet,
her action star-worthy fitness regime and her 2021 Amazon Prime Video action movie, "Jolt."
"'It can feel like a little bit of a political act to be a woman over 32 who's having any fun at all.
And by that, I don't mean doing drugs and drinking and partying, because I never am,
but being goofy, and going out [...] it somehow seems to be risqué,
which is just ridiculous to me. And I witness men constantly doing whatever they like,
whether that's in relationships, or deciding to buy a motorbike, or getting a tattoo."
Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, "Jolt" turns this concept on its head.
Beckinsale plays Lindy, a former bouncer with violent impulse control issues.
"I explain, 'It's this woman who's got this rage disorder.' And every
single woman has said, 'Oh. Me.' Women are really f------- angry right now."
Kate Beckinsale's recent and upcoming filmography makes her star-making role as Selene
seem like the odd one out in her résumé. The actress seems to be building on the critical
success of "Love & Friendship," and focusing on projects like the coming-of-age drama "Farming,"
and the Amazon Prime Original mystery drama "The Widow."
According to Deadline, one of Beckinsale's more interesting
upcoming projects is director Catherine Hardwicke's "Prisoner's Daughter," which
will be about generational family trauma and the long road to healing. In other words,
it's going to be about as far from vampire action movies as you can get.
Perhaps this is the ultimate reason Beckinsale won't return for "Underworld 6:" She simply wants
to star in projects like these instead. Beckinsale clearly has much to give on the acting front,
and let's face it — five movies of stunts in a skin-tight costume is plenty for anyone.
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