[_____V_____]

Heat Vision reports that "The Shield" writer John Hlavin has been hired to pen the fourth installment of the inexplicably popular and successful franchise.

Len Wiseman, who directed the first two films in the vampire-vs.-werewolf saga, is producing with Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg and Richard Wright of Lakeshore.

Currently, the fourth film, which Hlavin says will not be a prequel, has no director attached and neither Beckinsale nor Rhona Mitra, the star of the last film Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, are currently attached to return at this point.

While keeping the plot of the new film under wraps, Hlavin, “It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don’t want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements.”

Fresh elements? As in mummies? Will it be werewolves vs. vampires vs. mummies?

Makes as much sense as the previous conflict and you have to introduce a fresh element and you have mummies?

Anyway, the horror-action series has been successful for Screen Gems and Lakeshore, scaring up nearly $300 million worldwide.

Hlavin worked on such shows as "E-Ring" and "Daybreak" and was a writer and story editor on "Shield." He is developing his Western screenplay "The Gunslinger" at Warner Bros. and penning NBC's detective drama "Boston P.D.," which Don Cheadle is producing.