Underworld Ended Up In The Middle Of Legal Controversy

2003’s Underworld came under fire in a legal controversy just weeks before it was released.

Starring Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, Underworld is a highly-stylized gothic gem about a centuries-long war between vampires and werewolves, referred to as Lycans in the film. The story surrounds Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire, and Michael (Speedman), a newly-turned Lycan, who fall in love. The two discover the sinister reason behind Michael’s turning and must fight both of their kind to get out of the ordeal alive. Above all, this Romeo & Juliet-esque film is certainly more action than romance but still satisfies horror fans.

While the film didn’t manage to scare up as much as other action-horror franchises, like Resident Evil, it still performed relatively well. With a worldwide gross of over $95 million, Underworld later saw a prequel and three sequels, along with an animated film. An Underworld TV series has even been in development for some time now as well, but a proper update hasn’t been announced in a few years.

Sony Was Sued For Copyright Infringement By Vampire: The Masquerade Creators

Before Underworld was released in September of 2003, White Wolf, creator of popular RPG games like Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, sued Sony Pictures, Screen Gems, and Lakeshore Entertainment, due to the similarities between the film and its games. The case stated that the movies took the theme, settings, and characters based on its two game franchises, citing 17 specific infringements of its IP. Alongside White Wolf was Nancy A. Collins, writer of the White Wolf-published Love of Monsters from 1994, claiming the script of Underworld was taken from the short story.

Whether Sony had expected some sort of backlash of this type and was ready for it or wanted nothing to get in the way to stop the release of the film, it was swift to react to the case. The announcement to sue was released on September 3rd, 2003 and the case was concluded just a few days later, on September 7th. Both parties agreed to settle privately and Underworld was released on September 19th.

While White Wolf may have had a case to work with, it’s a bit troubling when the IP of a business is based on folklore and mythology, only to try to take action when another entity tries to do the same thing. Nonetheless, the Underworld film series continued to expand into what it is today. Overall, it’s a very fun action-horror franchise that has some cool creature FX. The story itself isn’t the most thrilling, but it’s a good enough of an excuse to watch some vampires and werewolves duke it out.

About The Author