Universal Soldier: The Return

Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)

Timing: 1:22 (82 min)

5.922/10
1316

5.043/10
14392

4.2/10
32000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 18

Actors and characters

Release date

1999-08-05

Country

United States

Production

TriStar Pictures, IndieProd Company Productions, Baumgarten-Prophet Entertainment, Long Road Entertainment

Genre

Action, Science Fiction

Budget

$45 000 000

Revenue

$10 667 893

Website

Director

Mic Rodgers

Actors

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kiana Tom, Bill Goldberg, Michael Jai White, Heidi Schanz, Xander Berkeley, Justin Lazard, Daniel von Bargen, James Black, Karis Paige Bryant
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Craig Baumgarten, Daniel Melnick, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Allen Shapiro, Michael I. Rachmil

Operator

Mike Benson

Composer

Don Davis

Artist

Audition

Rachel Abroms, Jory Weitz

Editing

Peck Prior
All team (59)

• In the first film, Michael Jai White plays one of the soldiers, and in this film he already plays (as a body) and voices a supercomputer nicknamed C.E.T.
• Mick Rogers himself made a cameo appearance. He played the role of a biker.
• The film features the song “Crush 'Em” by the band “Megadeth,” to which wrestler Bill Goldberg always enters the ring. Jean-Claude Van Damme also starred in the music video for this song.
• The special effects were created by the company “KNB”.
• The film marked Mika Rogers' directorial debut.
• This is the first film about Universal Soldiers not to feature Dolph Lundgren, although he appeared in the following two installments.
• The role of Romeo was originally intended for wrestling star Steve Austin, with a fee of $55,000. Austin's agent rejected the offer without even informing Austin himself. The role was eventually offered to wrestler Bill Goldberg for a fee of $250,000. When Austin found out, he expressed his indignation to promoter Vince McMahon over the fact that he hadn't been informed about the opportunity to star in the film.
• Ellie Walker did not return to the franchise to reprise her role as Veronica due to her commitment to filming the series "Profiler" (1996-2000).
• The film was a box office failure and did not impress critics, so all subsequent films in the franchise either ignore the events of the film or outright contradict them. Formally, the film remains part of the franchise, but is not considered canonical.
• Some of the underground scenes were filmed in Texas, in tunnels built for the "SSC" (Superconducting Super Collider) project, which was shut down by a decision of the US Congress in 1993.
• Kiana Tom initially worked as a coach for several actors involved in the film, but she was soon offered a role herself and played Maggie.
• Paul Verhoeven, Roland Emmerich (who directed the first film in the franchise in 1992), Jan de Bont, and Michael Bay were all considered as directors for the film at one time or another, but they all preferred to work on other projects.