Kate Beckinsale Returns in Underworld 4 with New Directors

The popular vampire franchise is set to take another bite out of the box office with production gearing up on a fourth installment set to hit screens in 2012. The Underworld films propelled Kate Beckinsale into the mainstream stratosphere and offered audiences a stylish, Gothic tone set in a more traditional world of vampires, fused with werewolf mythology. She appeared in the successful sequel Underworld: Evolution with co-star Scott Speedman though both were notably absent in the prequel Rise of the Lycans which starred Rhona Mitra and Kate‘s former hubby Michael Sheen. Whilst the third flick was an adequate addition to the series, it was seen as something of a pale imitation that was sorely lacking Kate’s butt-kicking character Selene.

In September, a collective sigh of relief was echoed by movie fans when it was confirmed that the star would be returning as the tantalizing vampire in a new sequel to the franchise which has so far made $300 million worldwide .

Len Wiseman and Kate Beckinsale - Hot List Party Las Vegas 2010

The latest news is that the next installment has found it’s directors – that’s right, a duo will be helming this new chapter. Swedish filmmakers Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein are taking over the reigns from Len Wiseman and Patrick Tatopoulos. The new directing team recently made their English-language debut with the U.K. flick Shelter, a supernatural thriller starring Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Kate‘s husband Len Wiseman will be producing the film whilst he works on the Total Recall reboot.

Production is scheduled to begin next March and is based on a script from former Shield writer John Hlavin with revisions made by Changeling writer J. Michael Straczynski. Casting is looking for a young actress as the story revolves around Selene and her daughter.

The fourth flick is set to be in 3D and production kicks- off in Vancouver with a release scheduled for January 20, 2012.

Update:

Synopsis – After being held in a coma-like state for fifteen years, vampire Selene learns that she has a fourteen-year-old vampire/Lycan hybrid daughter, Nissa, and when she finds her they must stop BioCom from creating super Lycans that will kill them all.

via: THR