Kate Beckinsale slips back into her infamous latex corset and catsuit for "Underworld: Blood Wars," but that almost wasn't the case.
"The beginning of this movie, [the director Anna Foerster] was quite keen to change the costume completely and it just didn't feel like Selene," Beckinsale told TooFab's Brian Particelli. "There were just some things that needed to kind of stay."
"I think it started with the idea that we have reached the fifth installment of something," added Foerster. "Yes, there is a very iconic image of Selene and the latex and whatever, even the silhouette, which you don't want to touch. That's Selene. But yet, she's going through a pretty intense journey."
That journey includes a trip to meet some Nordic vampires in the new film, out Friday.
"It was important for me that when she's going there, she's essentially evolving. There is definitely a spiritual quest she's taking," continued the director. "It was very important for me that there is a visual change. We had long discussions about that, back and forth, and that's where the white coat come up and the hair."
But worry not franchise fans, Foerster swore there was never talk of getting rid of the corset.
"I think that would be a big mistake. The corset and the catsuit is, that's iconic," she added. "If we think Selene, we think that."
There were a few changes for franchise star Theo James as well, who reprises his role as vampire hottie David from "Underworld: Awakening." While he wielded a whip in his last outing, David goes medieval this time around.
"To go old school and go back to the sword was a fun thing to do," James explained. "It was satisfying because the idea was to embrace the fact that it was this genre action movie and to do as much of that as possible."
"Training would begin every morning at 6AM and last until 6:10 AM," he joked. "No, here was a bunch of training. I've done a bit of it now, so I don't have to hustle as much as I used to when I was first starting."
That being said, James admitted there were a "few near misses" on set. "Just because of the nature of it," he added, "stuff's flying around!"
The additional action scenes made the project more enjoyable for Theo.
"In the last one [David] didn't have as much hands on action, whereas this one he has some quite elongated action sequences which I think were more fun for me than the previous one," said James.
And while he had a blast filming the new film, he thinks his days as David have come to a close.
"I think David's storyline is done. I think his arc has been fully realized and I think now is the time for the new characters who have been introduced in the story to take the helm," he explained.
James is also seemingly done with the "Divergent" franchise. After the last entry in the franchise underperformed at the box office, there have been rumors of a TV movie to complete the series.
"I think it's a shame that we can't finish the story, but I think it's evolving in a place where the actors that have been int he three movies probably won't be in whatever it evolves to in the future," he explained. "Thanks for the support," he added in a message to fans.
Check out the video below to see how Foerster hoped to put her own stamp on the new film. "Underworld: Blood Wars" opens Friday, January 6.
