''Universal Soldier'' returns, again

Try not to be confused by the Universal Soldier sequel descending on video stores June 22. Paramount Home Video's Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms does begin where Jean-Claude Van Damme's 1992 action blockbuster left off — on a farm — but you won't find Van Damme in the reshoot of the original's final fight scene. No, that's Days of Our Lives' Matt Battaglia making the moves as lean, mean fighting machine Luc Devereaux in the television sequel that first aired on Showtime in 1997. Van Damme doesn't launch his second offensive until Sept. 3, when TriStar's Universal Soldier: The Return hits theaters. Is TriStar peeved to have Brothers (as well as the Showtime threequel, a July 13 tape subtitled Unfinished Business) riding the buildup to its big release? ''We couldn't be less worried,'' says a spokesperson. ''We are the big gun.''