Underworld is a series of
action horror films directed by
Len Wiseman,
Patrick Tatopoulos,
Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. The first film,
Underworld, was released in 2003. It tells the story of
Selene (
Kate Beckinsale), a vampire who works as a Death Dealer, killing the
Lycans (Werewolves) who allegedly slaughtered her family. The second film, , was released in 2006. In this film, Selene takes Michael Corvin, a human bitten first by Lucian, the leader of the Lycan horde and later by Selene, thus becoming a Lycan/Vampire hybrid, to a vampire safehouse and plans to return to Viktor's estate to awaken Markus, the last Vampire Elder. The third film, , is the prequel to the series, chronicling the origins of the vampire-lycan war (it was released on January 23, 2009). The fourth film, , the sequel to , was released on January 20, 2012. In this film, humans have discovered the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, and are trying to eradicate both species. A fifth film titled is in production and is set to be released 2016.