“I remember thinking, werewolves against vampires?
Think 2008’sTwilightwas the first movie in which vampires warred with werewolves?
Still, Wiseman is well aware that some people think he got the idea for his film fromTwilight.
Kate Beckinsale in ‘Underworld”.Screen Gems/Everett
“Here’s what’s funny,” the filmmaker tells EW, two decades afterUnderworldpremiered in theaters.
“BecauseTwilightwas such a massive success, people at Comic-Con would ask ifUnderworldwas inspired byTwilight.
But I get that a lot, as years go on.
Kate Beckinsale in ‘Underworld’.Screen Gems/Everett
It’s like, ‘You did a dark, gritty version ofTwilight.’
I go, ‘No, they did a glossier romantic version of [Underworld].'”
“That’s how young I was.”
Kate Beckinsale in ‘Underworld’.Screen Gems/Everett
(The pair divorced in 2019.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: IMDb has your first credit as a property assistant on the 1994 sci-fi filmStargate.
I assume that means you handed guns to Kurt Russell all day long?
‘Underworld’ director Len Wiseman.Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
LEN WISEMAN:That’s true.
That’s exactly what I did.
How did got your start in the business?
I grew up in San Francisco.
Do you remember this movieHeart and SoulswithRobert Downey, Jr.?
I kind of spied around the set and saw what the grips looked like.
I’m like, I’ve got that uniform: cargo shorts and a tool belt.
I grabbed my portfolio, and I just walked right [by] the security guard.
I watched that set for two days.
Anyhow, the assistant director came up to me.
He said, “So, are you part of this production?”
I told him the whole story.
He was so entertained by the idea.
He took a look at my portfolio, with all my artwork and drawings and storyboards.
That’s kind of how it started.
Went fromStargatetoGodzilla,Independence Day.
You also started directing music videos?
Yeah, I started doing low-budget music videos right afterIndependence Day.
So, I was directing, but making no money.
I would keep different clothes in the car.
It was a pitch.
They were looking to start a werewolf franchise.
I am now, but I wasn’tthen, a huge horror guy.
I was looking for a new version of a werewolf movie and what that opponent would be.
We’d seen the local sheriff, we’d seen the town.
It’s always a similar format.
We hit the idea of, what if that opponent was a vampire?
I remember thinking,surelythat’s been done.
I mean, werewolves against vampires?
We looked it up and realized it really has not been done since the classic monster movies.
Then we [had] these two families, creating thisRomeo and Julietstory with vampires and werewolves.
We got really excited about it.
Yes, that was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, but became a famous disaster.
Oh my god, that’s right.
I forgot about that story.
And so we did.
I’m not dying to make a werewolf movie, I’m dying todirect a movie.
It was a real opportunity.
They almost bought it with me directing it.
That’s the closest that we got to a major studio.
He said, “Have you ever thought about directing a movie?”
I pitched to Lakeshore, and they loved it.
It was a much different budget than what we were shopping around at the time.They were so supportive.
How did you come to cast Kate?
That was from Tom Rosenberg [Chairman of Lakeshore Entertainment].
He was the first one to suggest Kate.
She was more of a serious actress, or [starring] in period pieces.
She was looking to do something in a different genre, and it worked out great.
She had zero experience of onscreen action at this point?Yes, that’s true.
So, yes, she had not done any of the training stuff, the fight choreography.
All of that was an entirely new world.
You shot in Budapest.
What was that like?
It was a tough shoot.
How are we going to do this?
We also didn’t have a second unit or even really an insert unit.
It was almost like watching phone tag the way it was being relayed with all the translators.
What do you remember about the release of the film?
But I was so blown away by the advertising campaign.
I remember it was up on billboards and buses and everything.
It was a crazy time.
After the second film, you directed other movies but continued to help oversee the franchise.
What was it like steering the ship as the mythology became more dense and complex?
It’s fun and tricky at the same time.
I always think rules are very important in genre movies.
Are there any plans to bringUnderworldback in any fashion?
There is a fashion that is in the works.
I can’t talk about it, but there is a future toUnderworldfor sure.
There was some talk about doing anUnderworldTV show back in the day.
What happened with that?
That’s the one I’m referring to.
How’s it going withBallerina?
We’re on a pause right now, but I’ve just finished the director’s cut.
Had an amazing shoot.
It’s a really fun movie.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
You like her for 15 minutes?Well, you’ll love her for two hours!
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