Recently, I got a chance to speak to Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, directors of the upcoming Underworld: Awakening. During our interview (which will be up soon, I promise!), one topic came up that I felt needed to be shared with the class right away. When I asked if there were any more Underworld flicks in the making, Måns said that “The movie is kind of made for a sequel. There are some cool new characters, and they don’t die. Some of these new characters I’d love to explore.” This probably means that there’s a sequel hook in the final moments of Awakening and also suggests that some characters we do know might be dying.
From what I can guess, studio execs are going to see how this one does at the box office before they go crazy and order a sequel, which is something I admire. Too often you see studios order up a sequel to a big-budget project before the first installment is out of post (Sony, I’m looking at you). It’s nice to see a studio with a bit of brains to back their financial muscle, even when they’re dealing with an already succesful franchise.