Universal Soldier (series)
Encyclopedia
Universal Soldier is an American action
science fiction
film series
started from the 1992 original same title film written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin
; directed by Roland Emmerich
; and distributed by Sony Tri-Star.
The main plot concentrates on the reanimated soldiers Luc Deveraux, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Andrew Scott, portrayed by Dolph Lundgren. The movie has spawned 3 theatrical (Regeneration had a limited release) and 2 spin-off TV movies.
is a 1992 science fiction film, directed by Roland Emmerich
. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme
and Dolph Lundgren
as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam
but are reanimated
in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers.
Universal Soldier: Regeneration is the third theatrical film in the Universal Soldier series. The film is directed by John Hyams, the screenplay is by Victor Ostrovsky, and it stars Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme, both reprising their roles from previous films in the series.
In May 2010, it was announced that Van Damme and Lundgren would return for a fourth official installment. Universal Soldier: A New Dimension will be the first in the series to be filmed in 3-D
. Hyams returns as the director (and writer). The principal photography started May 9, 2011 in Baton Rouge (Louisiana) and is to wrap end of June. Scott Adkins
has also joined the cast and is reported to be the lead character in this entry, that he has described as "Blade Runner
meets Apocalypse Now
".
They were produced for Showtime / The Movie Channel
as a miniseries meant as a 'backdoor' pilot for a series.
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
is a 1998 direct-to-video
science fiction film
and a sequel to the original 1992 film Universal Soldier meant a 'backdoor pilot' for a series.
Despite featuring the same characters as the original, the film features none of the original cast or crew. It was followed the same year with another sequel titled Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
. In 1999, a theatrical sequel, once again starring Van Damme, Universal Soldier: The Return
was produced, which essentially ignored the plotline of the direct-to-video sequels entirely.
Universal Soldier: Regeneration ignores the events of Universal Soldier: The Return and reinvents the series by writing it off the canonical fictional timeline, following the psychological tracks of the original movie.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
film series
Film series
A film series is a collection of related films in succession. Their relationship is not fixed, but generally share a common diegetic world. Sometimes the work is conceived as a multiple-film work, for example the Three Colours series, but in most cases the success of the original film inspires...
started from the 1992 original same title film written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin
Dean Devlin
Dean Devlin is an American screenwriter, producer, television director and former actor. He is the founder of the production company Electric Entertainment.-Personal life:...
; directed by Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer.His films, most of which are Hollywood productions filmed in English, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, more than those of any other European director...
; and distributed by Sony Tri-Star.
The main plot concentrates on the reanimated soldiers Luc Deveraux, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Andrew Scott, portrayed by Dolph Lundgren. The movie has spawned 3 theatrical (Regeneration had a limited release) and 2 spin-off TV movies.
Main series
Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier (1992 film)
Universal Soldier is a 1992 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead...
is a 1992 science fiction film, directed by Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer.His films, most of which are Hollywood productions filmed in English, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, more than those of any other European director...
. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
and Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
but are reanimated
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers.
Universal Soldier: Regeneration is the third theatrical film in the Universal Soldier series. The film is directed by John Hyams, the screenplay is by Victor Ostrovsky, and it stars Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme, both reprising their roles from previous films in the series.
In May 2010, it was announced that Van Damme and Lundgren would return for a fourth official installment. Universal Soldier: A New Dimension will be the first in the series to be filmed in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
. Hyams returns as the director (and writer). The principal photography started May 9, 2011 in Baton Rouge (Louisiana) and is to wrap end of June. Scott Adkins
Scott Adkins
Scott Adkins is an English actor and martial artist who is perhaps best known for playing Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Undisputed III: Redemption and Bradley Hume in Holby City and Ed Russell in Mile High...
has also joined the cast and is reported to be the lead character in this entry, that he has described as "Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
meets Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
".
Retconned
The following movies were removed from the canon (retconned) of Universal Soldier films.They were produced for Showtime / The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
as a miniseries meant as a 'backdoor' pilot for a series.
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film, sequel to the 1992 film Universal Soldier. Despite featuring the same characters as the original, the film features none of the original cast or crew. It was followed the same year with triquel titled Universal...
is a 1998 direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
and a sequel to the original 1992 film Universal Soldier meant a 'backdoor pilot' for a series.
Despite featuring the same characters as the original, the film features none of the original cast or crew. It was followed the same year with another sequel titled Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film. It was produced as a miniseries for a potential TV series. Like Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, none of the actors or crew of the original returned, but all the cast and crew from the first sequel...
. In 1999, a theatrical sequel, once again starring Van Damme, Universal Soldier: The Return
Universal Soldier: The Return
Universal Soldier: The Return is a 1999 American science fiction action film directed by Mic Rodgers and starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White, professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, Heidi Schanz, Kiana Tom and Xander Berkeley as Doctor Dylan Cotner...
was produced, which essentially ignored the plotline of the direct-to-video sequels entirely.
Universal Soldier: Regeneration ignores the events of Universal Soldier: The Return and reinvents the series by writing it off the canonical fictional timeline, following the psychological tracks of the original movie.