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Live-Action Underworld Films Get 'Anime' Shorts
posted on by Andrew Osmond
Len Wiseman, director of the live-action fantasy film Underworld, confirmed at Comic-Con International on Friday that "anime" shorts set in the Underworld universe will be included in a compilation of the live-action film series on Blu-ray Disc. Wiseman described these shorts as “an evolution of these characters in timelines we haven't seen.” He did not indicate if these shorts are animated in Japan.
The Underworld films recount an ancient and ongoing war between werewolves and vampires. The three films to date are Underworld (2003), its sequel Underworld: Evolution (2006) and its prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009). A fourth film, Underworld: Awakening, is scheduled for next January. Wiseman directed the first two films, and he produced the last three films.
The trend for licensed Japanese-animated spinoffs of American live-action films began with The Animatrix in 2003, which coincided with The Matrix Reloaded. The Batman: Gotham Knight project followed in 2008 as a tie-in to the The Dark Knight. Both titles were anthologies, made by different anime studios.
[Via Bleeding Cool, IGN]
Update: Typo fixed. Thanks, Gamefish.
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