If you were looking forward to seeing Kate Beckinsale back in action as vampire warrior Selene this Halloween, then prepare to be slightly inconvenienced as Underworld: Blood Wars has been pushed back to January 2017.

Originally scheduled for release on October 14, Underworld faced competition from Jack Reacher 2, Ouija: Origin of Evil, A Monster Calls and the terrifying prospect of Boo! A Madea Halloween from Tyler Perry. The move doesn’t seem to be influenced by the other four wide releases in the same week, but Screen Gems has yet to cite a particular reason for the unexpected three-month delay. Aside from the first entry, all the other Underworld sequels have been released in January to varying degrees of success, so sticking to a tried and tested new year slot makes logical business sense. After sitting out of the jumbled prequel Rise of the Lycans, Beckinsale returned as Death Dealer Selene for 2012’s Awakening and scored the biggest box office ($160 million) in the now thirteen-year-old franchise. 

I’ll admit that the Underworld movies are a guilty pleasure, I think that notion is shared by the surprisingly high-brow cast of British thespians that the franchise has attracted over the years. Michael Sheen, Stephen Rea, Bill Nighy, Derek Jacobi and Charles Dance have all lent their considerable talents to play creatures of the night. 

Blood Wars is believed to be Beckinsale’s swan-song and subsequent follow-ups will focus on new characters including Theo James’ vampire David, who was introduced in Awakening. A handover sequel didn’t work out too well for Blade with botched spin-off launcher Trinity, Ryan Reynolds’ witty quips aside, the third Blade proved to be dullest. Aside from an active movie franchise, the Underworld universe is set to expand with plans for a spin-off TV series from Len Wiseman (who directed the first two movies). There’s been no movement on the project since 2014, but that should change once Blood Wars arrives in cinemas.