Staying Afloat

Universal Soldier is a 1992 American military science-fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, produced by Allen Shapiro, Craig Baumgarten, and Joel B. Michaels, and written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin. The film tells the story of Luc Deveraux, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme, a former soldier killed in the Vietnam War in 1969, and returned to life by a secret military project called the "Universal Soldier" program. Universal Soldier was released by TriStar Pictures on July 10, 1992. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $120 million worldwide against a budget of $23 million and spawned a series of films: theatrical sequel Universal Soldier: The Return, alternative direct-to-video sequel Universal Soldier: Regeneration, standalone direct-to-video film Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and two direct-to-TV films, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business. It was the first film on-screen collaboration between Van Damme and Lundgren in the film series, who later worked together in The Expendables 2 and Black Water, and their voice-roles in Minions: The Rise of Gru.