Kate Beckinsale’s Underworld films have been pitting vampires against werewolves for over a decade, but at one point even more demons were going to be added to the onslaught when a crossover with I, Frankenstein was considered.

The Underworld series started dealing death to vampires back in 2003 and the atmospheric action-horror films have only continued to grow in popularity. It’s impressive to see how the films’ universe has evolved over the years and how the longstanding feud between vampires and werewolves has slowly changed. Underworld movies will jump around in chronology to help convey the full complexity of this saga. Even though the franchise has tackled controversial territory like a vampire-lycan hybrid, it seemed to always be looking towards the future and ready to push Selene to new places.

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2014 marked the release of the Aaron Eckhart vehicle, I, Frankenstein, which provided a radical new spin on the Victor Frankenstein narrative. The film puts Eckhart’s Adam Frankenstein, the Doctor’s monster, in a tug of war between good and evil. Frankenstein faces hordes of evil demons in his journey to figure out where he belongs. There were high hopes and franchise plans for I, Frankenstein, but the most ambitious plans of all involved mashing the film together with the Underworld movies.

The Underworld Franchise Was Supposed To Connect With I, Frankenstein’s Films

The major piece of connective tissue between Underworld and I, Frankenstein stems back to Kevin Grevioux, the screenwriter of Underworld, who adapted the film from his graphic novel of the same name. After the Underworld series had accrued several sequels and become a hit, Grevioux attempted to conjure the same magic by adapting his similarly demon-filled graphic novel, I, Frankenstein. The DNA of these movies is so alike because they both come from the same gothic universe in Grevioux’s head. Grevioux’s plan was to make I, Frankenstein its own series, which would feature connections to Underworld, with both franchises culminating in a big crossover. Grevioux’s original draft for I, Frankenstein even put Kate Beckinsale’s Selene in a post-credits scene.

Grevioux’s plan was an ambitious one, but one that seemed fairly par for the course circa 2014. Grevioux ultimately scaled back on his plan, with hopes that I, Frankenstein could first stand on its own, so any Underworld allusions were removed. However, when I, Frankenstein failed to meet box office expectations, it no longer made any sense to pair together these projects. There was a time where Grevioux was optimistic to pick up and carry over ideas and themes from I, Frankenstein into the next Underworld film, Blood Wars, but it also didn’t come to pass. While there is still interest in the Underworld series, it’s interesting to think if I, Frankenstein would still be in the public consciousness if Grevioux’s original plan to feature Selene had happened.

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Daniel Kurland
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Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is Brooklyn, New York. Daniel’s work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, and across the Internet. He recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, “Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales” and he’s currently toiling away on his first novel.

Daniel knows that “Psycho II” is better than the original, that the finale of “How I Met Your Mother” doesn’t deserve the hate that it receives, and that Garth Ennis’ run of “Animal Man” may be the best superhero story of all time. He’s a fan of white grape juice and appreciates a good Fuji apple.

The owls are not what they seem.

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