Blade Reboot To Focus On Vampire Slayer’s Daughter?
Official confirmation of a Blade movie reboot is still lingering on the minds of fans and comic book readers alike now that Marvel have regained the rights to the character, but a rumour has surfaced that implies the new Blade movie could focus on the vampire slayer’s daughter.
At San Diego Comic Con last month, Marvel announced an “All-New, All Different” relaunch for their comics in the fall, and Blade is believed to be part of this, reports Nerdist. The titular focus of the Blade comic is rumoured to be shifting to Blade’s daughter – a 16-year-old girl named Fallon Gray, who takes up her father’s profession.
Bleeding Cool have also reported that the new movie might already be on the way. According to them, Marvel is developing the reboot of Blade in response to increasing fan interest, and are treating the franchise with considerable respect.
“I understand from well-connected sources that this is due to careful concern from up above the food chain, that the character and the comic are suddenly considered extremely important by the bean counters, and the multi-media folk. Because the plan is that this new Blade will be the one that features in the next Blade movie.”
The comics have actually been delayed to ensure Marvel get the source material right for a potential movie. If this is the case, and it’s mainly rumour at the moment, it looks like half-human/half-vampire Blade, a.k.a Eric Brooks, will feature in a supporting role, in both comic and film.
Wesley Snipes, who brought Blade to life on the big screen in 1998, has expressed interest in reprising the role, as reported by Cinema Blend. His last stint as the character was in 2004’s Blade Trinity. On returning to the role, Snipes had the following to say.
“[Blade 4] is controlled by Marvel and we did have a really productive and a wonderful meeting and we discussed a number of things. I don’t know where it’s on their schedule at this point, that hasn’t been decided. I guess it’s still up in the air. I’ve always been a fan of these pieces and adaptations and I’d be nice to be a part of the family again. But if we don’t to a Blade 4 or something else with Marvel, we’ll do something else.”
Rumours about a Blade reboot have been circulating for many years. In light of their recent success with Daredevil, Marvel were considering a new series on the online streaming site, Netflix. He would join fellow property, Ghost Rider, whose rights also returned to Marvel recently. A short-lived Blade series was released in 2006, with Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones playing the lead role, but it was swiftly cancelled.
Blade was not a significant solo character in the Marvel comics, but Marvel Studios considers him an important part of their universe. In 1998, Blade was the first successful Marvel Comics-based movie, succeeding where Punisher (1989), Death of The Incredible Hulk (1990), the original Captain America movies (1979 and 1990), and Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four (1994) – which was never released – all failed. Some believe the success of Blade opened the doors to Hollywood for the likes of X-Men – released only two years later in 2000 – and Spider Man. It grossed $131.2 million at the box office.
Marvel is such a dominant force in Hollywood at the moment, it could be only a matter of time until we see Blade stalking the daylight and saving humanity again. With Snipes in contention for the role and Marvel working on a new line of comic books, one thing is clear – Blade is due a comeback.
[Images – flickeringmyth.com and hitfix.com]
