The Death Dealer is headed to television.
Deadline brings word today that Len Wiseman and Sketch Films are spearheading an Underworld TV series based on the cult action-horror franchise of warring Vampires and Lycans. With an eye on a premium cable/digital slot, the long-gestating project will seemingly be a “big departure” from the five-part film series, which itself launched the middling Underworld: Blood Wars back in January. Perhaps some fresh blood and a new platform are needed to keep the cult action franchise afloat?
It’s far too soon to gauge Underworld‘s chances of success, but it now joins a long line of film-to-TV adaptations. It’s a creative process fraught with duds and disappointments, as competent spinoffs like The Exorcist are often countered by the likes of Minority Report and Limitless, which were both canned after only one season on the airwaves. Here’s hoping Wiseman’s latest gig manages to avoid those same pitfalls when the time comes.
Even still, having co-written and launched the first two installments, before producing the remaining three, there is perhaps no one better equipped to develop an Underworld TV series than Len Wiseman. No word yet on whether Kate Beckinsale will be involved, though we imagine the vampire/Death Dealer known as Selene will be quietly pushed to the side in favor of a new, fresh take on the franchise.
Per Deadline:
The series 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.
First touted in 2014, the Underworld TV series is officially a go at Sketch Films, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest as the project begins to fall into place. Meanwhile, Len Wiseman is also the man tasked with continuing the dormant Die Hard series, with the next instalment said to be casting the net in search of a young John McClane.