Well here’s a nice little morsel of news: The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Kate Beckinsale will return in the fifth film in the Underworld franchise… to be directed by Anna Foerster!
Foerster is a woman of many talents — director, cinematographer, and visual effects artist. She’s done a lot of TV and second unit work, and is still reportedly attached to direct the sequel to Duncan Jones’ Source Code. Foerster is a welcome addition to Underworld‘s roster of directors, especially considering that every past installment of this franchise has a strong female lead. It seems very fitting to have a woman at the helm.
It is unknown how prominent Beckinsale’s role will be in the new film, as Bloody-Disgusting reports that film will focus on the younger characters introduced in Underworld: Awakening. This francise still has plenty of room to improve, but the effects are always solid, the practical monsters are cool, and they always cast manage to cast these flicks with great character actors like Bill Nighy, Stephen Mackintosh, Derek Jacobi, Charles Dance, and Stephen Rea. Critics aren’t kind to these films (I suspect commenters won’t be, either), but get real — they could be a lot worse. Here’s hoping this next one is an improvement.