Many consider 2000’s X-Men as the superhero film that helped launch our current comic book renaissance, though that film was largely made possible by 1998’s Blade, which allowed another one of Marvel’s less recognizable heroes to face off against the living undead. Given that superheroes are hotter than ever, Blade himself, Wesley Snipes, recently detailed what the future could hold for the character, whether he reprises the role or a newcomer takes over.
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“There are a lot of conversations going around right now and we’re very blessed to have the enthusiasm and interest in something coming from that world again,” Snipes shared with VICE. “We’ve created two projects that fit perfectly into this world and, when people see them, I think they’re only going to have a problem with deciding which one they love the most.”
He added, “All the main execs [at Marvel] and my team, we’ve been discussing for the past two years. Everyone’s enthusiastic about it, everybody gets it. But they got a business to run and they gotta square the things that they gotta figure out before they can get to it, I guess. In the meantime, we got a business to run and our own slate of things to do so.”
Despite what the previous films did for the horror corner of the Marvel universe, Snipes promised, “The next time you see something in [the Blade universe], mark my words: what we did before is child’s play compared to what we can do now.”
With the Blade franchise kicking off before the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character has fallen into a number of legal disputes over which studio has the rights to develop the character, and whether a project would be pursued for a film or TV project. Whichever path Blade takes to come back to life, Snipes noted how difficult it would be to find a new performer to fully deliver what audiences expect from the character.
“There’s a lot of pieces that have to come together. I mean wow. Who’s that guy?” Snipes pondered. “And one that can overcome everybody’s preconceived idea of who Blade is supposed to be. Skill-wise, there’s not a lot of guys out there that dance, that do the martial arts, that act well and can have that Blade flavor. Not a lot of chocolate guys out there. If they’re gonna go chocolate. If they’re gonna go vanilla… ehhhh, I don’t know. Non-traditional casting: I’m with it. I’ve been a beneficiary of it. I don’t know if it would be good for marketing but you never know. So, yeah, it’s a tough one. And they gotta be in shape and have some sex appeal. F-cking Blade has some sex appeal. Maybe you know somebody I don’t. I don’t know.”
However a new Blade project comes together, fans are likely to be ecstatic, as passions for the character has only grown since Snipes brought the character to life two decades ago.
Stay tuned for details on the future of Blade.
Do you think a movie or TV series would be a better fit for Blade? Would you like to see Snipes return? Let us know in the comments below!
[H/T VICE]
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