Kate Beckinsale Will Return For ‘Underworld 4′

Usually when the central protagonist is absent from the latest entry in a franchise, that’s a sign that it’s on its last legs, and the studio is making a last-ditch attempt to milk it of all its remaining worth. One might’ve thought that was the case with Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, but lo and behold, Kate Beckinsale will portray the leather-clad Selene once again for the fourth film in the Underworld series, which has yet to be tagged with a generic, nondescript subtitle. Learn more after the break.

CHUD received confirmation of the casting in a press release, which shares a lot of other info that we already know, but makes no mention of the film being shot in 3D. There are a couple of new tidbits: directors are being sought out for a spring 2011 production start date, and more interestingly, Selene will have a daughter this time around.

On a personal level, I can’t say I have any interest in another Underworld movie (I had my fill after the second), but at least Beckinsale’s involvement makes for a compelling factoid. How many other series of films are there that have spun off into sequels/prequels sans the original cast members, and then had them return to the franchises as though they never left? To my knowledge, there have only been two: The Fast and the Furious and The Mummy. And assuming a third sequel ever happens, American Pie would make three. So if nothing else, Beckinsale can feel proud that she’s contributing to a very rare occurrence in cinema. That’s something, right?

The screenplay for the fourth installment of the Underworld franchise was scripted by The Shield-writer John Hlavin, with revisions by J. Michael Straczynski (Changeling). As with Rise of the Lycans, Len Wiseman will serve only as a producer, not a director.

Screen Gems is planning a January 20, 2012 release date for the film.

Source

Release Date Set For Graphic Novel-Turned Film ‘Whiteout’

Although excerpts from the film version of Greg Rucka’s Whiteout graphic novel (published by Oni Press) were first shown at Comic-Con in 2007, the firm release date for the film, which stars Kate Beckinsdale as U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko, who has to solve a string of murders at an isolated base in the Antarctica before winter closes in, was not announced until recently. Previously the film had been tentatively scheduled to debut this fall in either September or October, but Warner Bros. Pictures has now made it official—Whiteout will be released on April 24th, 2009. Read more