Blade reboot (franchise remake)

[Octoberist]

I would cry if they 'rebooted' Blade. so pathetic to think it could happen one day.

 

[javphonic]

If they did reboot they should go younger like the new Batman franchise, plus for longevity so I could see Lee Thompson Young taking over the role

 

[Hypestyle]

I'd want to see Snipes brought back as a guest-hero in other Marvel films first.. get a release from New Line...

 

[Golgo-13]

I'll take 'Blade 4' before I take a remake/reboot/re-whatever...

Better to just leave the trilogy as is though.

Blade 3 doesn't exist to me. Give us the Blade vampire apocalypse set in the future that was mentioned and i'll be happy to call that my Blade 3. Plus since it's set in the future, Snipes' current age won't be an issue.

 

[DarKush]

Well, I doubt Goyer had that much say, no matter how involved in the series he was. And yeah, I can agree that the people in charge really did want to make the show about Krista. Still, I actually did enjoy the series. I loved the exploration of the vampire society, especially with the power struggle between Marcus and the purebloods, which is something I always loved about the first two films. Plus, you have to admit, casting Shaft as Blade's father was an interesting nod to a character that could have easily been an influence for the Blade character. And it was actually surprisingly graphic for a basic cable show. And on DVD? Even gorier, AND the occasional tittay!! t:

I read somewhere that MJW auditioned for the role but Goyer didn't want him on the series because his take on Blade was too reminiscent of Snipes. Now, I don't know how true that is, but I think it probably was. I think the Blade we got on the big screen was a combination of Goyer and Snipes merged visions. I think Goyer envisioned Blade as a bit more thuggish, not quite the stoic, yet kickass samaurai-like figure that we got from the films.

I liked Blade the Series, despite its flaws. Richard Roundtree was inspired casting. The series finally answered the question about what happened to Blade's father in all this, that was never addressed during the movies. I enjoyed the vampire politics from the first film and I also liked that it was revisited in the series. I liked Charlotte and Chase. I also liked Marcus. He was a suave, well developed villain, better than any of the villains in Trinity in terms of development and perhaps in lethality. I also enjoyed the Krista-Marcus love/hate thing.

However, I think the show made a fatal mistake in making the show about Krista instead of Blade. It was Krista's brother that got killed-giving her more of a personal stake in bringing down House of Chthon just like Blade had a personal stake in taking out Deacon Frost, for example. It was Krista putting her life on the line in her cat-and-mouse game with Marcus. It was Krista's struggle between the light and the dark that drove the series. What the hell was Blade needed for? He was mostly in the background. After the writers eventually remembered that Blade was an ass kicker and not a pin cushion, he would kick a little butt every now and then, but he was a bit too much in the background for a show bearing his name. Take 24 for example, Jack Bauer is the center of that show. Everything revolves around Bauer, or eventually it will. And that usually is the case for shows built around a central character. Can you truly say that about Blade?

Don't get me wrong, Blade got the occassional bone tossed his way, in some good moments, like with the Bad Bloods, his childhood memories, etc. But the show wasn't about his journey. How did Blade change from the beginning of the series, to its truncated ending? He really didn't. But Krista did.

I think that Goyer, Geoff Johns, and whoever else thought it would be better perhaps to base the show on a white character, particularly a sexy white woman in tight clothes, than a black character, and I think there is a problem portraying blacks as three-dimensional beings that reared its head on the show. Portraying black men as jive talking, or cursing badasses is something that has been happening since the 70's, at least, so that's something Hollywood has gotten used to. But what about showing a range of emotion, not just the hard exterior? What about showing a black man be a hero and have sex? I liked Snipes's take on the character because he was hard, but there was subtle hints of vulnerability underneath.

Kirk Jones's Blade looked hard and buff, but there was very little humanity in his portrayal, which was not totally his fault IMO. And he didn't do a good job with the hard/bad ass part because they let Blade get his ass kicked too much early on in the series, by run of the mill vamps.

 

[Golgo-13]

I like aspects of the show too, but what pissed me off is how is undermined the continuity of the films;like in the films Blade ages like a human, but in the show he doesn't. Blade completely getting his ass kicked by low level vamps in the first half of the series pissed me off too.

I really think if Snipes, or even MJW had been in the role the show might have lasted longer. It would have costed more to make, but having a heavy like Snipes on the show would have bought in the ratings, which is what killed the show, according to Spike. Plus Snipes would be known for putting his foot down about what he felt worked for the character and what didn't, regardless of what Goyer wrote...and the end result was an awesome Blade.

On a side note; has New Line been bought out by another company? I don't see any films with their logo anymore...

 

[BDOUBLEO]

On a side note; has New Line been bought out by another company? I don't see any films with their logo anymore...

For financial reasons their parent company Time-Warner integrated New Lines operations into the Warner Bros Movie division.

 

[Paradox1]

I wouldn't mind a reboot of Blade in a couple more years.I'd want a new take on Blade that is not too far left of the original franchise.A actor playing Blade and please bring back Whistler and if he's gonna go after Dracula let him more Dracula like.

 

[Stripesy Strip]

I would be all for a Blade and a Night Stalkers team that would be closer to the characters from the comics.

In the comic Blade is more of a deep man than a cool slick killer. He's also not half vampire so it makes his exploits even more incredible. He's had a chemical defect when he was born due to his mother being bitten by a vampire but I think it only make him see better at night or something like that. He's also British.

As far the Night Stalkers(those that help Blade against vampires, monsters...and Dracula himself) are Hannibal King who is not the roided up joker with multiple swords that Ryan Renolds played in the movie. In fact he's the one that is a vampire in the comics and he's a trenchcoat-wearing hardboiled detective. Rachel Van Helsing is not a buff archer. She looks good but she's more a normal woman that is thrown into this without her consent. She's capable to shoot the crossbow. The rest of the "main team"(because many more eventualy join the war) is completed by Frank Drake, a descendant of Dracula. What's funny is that he actually look closer to Ryan Renolds than any of the other characters. In the movie he was nerdy Payton Oswald for whatever reason. In the comic, Drake is a millionaire playboy living off his family inneritance. But then loses everything. All he finally get is the remnants of his ancestor, a certain castle in Transylvania. He gets there, revives Dracula by mistake, some people are killed. He gets back home, try to comic suicide but Rachel Van Helsing and the others convince him to shape up and help them fight Dracula. Another important members over the years is Quincy Harker an old man in a wheel chair, who is the son of Jonathan Harker from the novel.

 

[DarKush]

I like aspects of the show too, but what pissed me off is how is undermined the continuity of the films;like in the films Blade ages like a human, but in the show he doesn't. Blade completely getting his ass kicked by low level vamps in the first half of the series pissed me off too.

I really think if Snipes, or even MJW had been in the role the show might have lasted longer. It would have costed more to make, but having a heavy like Snipes on the show would have bought in the ratings, which is what killed the show, according to Spike. Plus Snipes would be known for putting his foot down about what he felt worked for the character and what didn't, regardless of what Goyer wrote...and the end result was an awesome Blade.

On a side note; has New Line been bought out by another company? I don't see any films with their logo anymore...

I agree that if MJW or Snipes, though New Line was never going to let him come back as Blade, had been the main star I think it would've lasted a bit longer. However, I don't know if poor rating is what killed the show. It had a good premiere, for Spike TV anyway, and there was a decline. But I remember reading stories that there were a lot more female viewers than Spike had intended and it was not matching up with their advertising. I think having Krista as the lead and the Krista-Marcus love thang actually brought in a new audience, but not the one Spike intended. I'm not sure if it was a large audience. Obviously, if it was large enough, Spike surely wouldn't have cancelled it despite the mismatch with the advertising. I'm assuming.

Though I think some of the old line Blade fans, who Spike needed to at least be the viewing base, bailed when they saw a depowered Blade and some of the other changes the show made, and I don't think the newer audience could replace them and still add more viewers as well, or enough viewers to justify keeping the show going.

I do think Spike bailed on it too early. Though I think with Viacom owning multiple channels, why not show repeats of Blade on BET, MTV, or one of their other stations? Hell, even CBS late at night on Saturdays or something. Do more cross promotion. They should've marketed more to the young. The Blade films always had a unique mix of rap/rock soundtracks, why not invite some of them artists on the show or play their music?

 

[Paradox1]

I would be all for a Blade and a Night Stalkers team that would be closer to the characters from the comics.

In the comic Blade is more of a deep man than a cool slick killer. He's also not half vampire so it makes his exploits even more incredible. He's had a chemical defect when he was born due to his mother being bitten by a vampire but I think it only make him see better at night or something like that. He's also British.

As far the Night Stalkers(those that help Blade against vampires, monsters...and Dracula himself) are Hannibal King who is not the roided up joker with multiple swords that Ryan Renolds played in the movie. In fact he's the one that is a vampire in the comics and he's a trenchcoat-wearing hardboiled detective. Rachel Van Helsing is not a buff archer. She looks good but she's more a normal woman that is thrown into this without her consent. She's capable to shoot the crossbow. The rest of the "main team"(because many more eventualy join the war) is completed by Frank Drake, a descendant of Dracula. What's funny is that he actually look closer to Ryan Renolds than any of the other characters. In the movie he was nerdy Payton Oswald for whatever reason. In the comic, Drake is a millionaire playboy living off his family inneritance. But then loses everything. All he finally get is the remnants of his ancestor, a certain castle in Transylvania. He gets there, revives Dracula by mistake, some people are killed. He gets back home, try to comic suicide but Rachel Van Helsing and the others convince him to shape up and help them fight Dracula. Another important members over the years is Quincy Harker an old man in a wheel chair, who is the son of Jonathan Harker from the novel.

When Goyer and Snipes choose Blade as a character for the movie they took a below B list hero and made him a household name.There formula of making him a half vampire with non of a normal vampires weaknesses except the thirst, and a cold blooded killer works better than anything the comics ever had to offer. You don't mess with a winning formula I've tried to read Blade comics and they don't get it.I would disagree that Blade isn't a deep thinker in the movies he speaks Russian,Czech , as well as reading and writing in the vampire language.

 

[MadVillainy]

maybe Aldis Hodge as Blade?

If he bulks up

 

[Stripesy Strip]

When Goyer and Snipes choose Blade as a character for the movie they took a below B list hero and made him a household name.There formula of making him a half vampire with non of a normal vampires weaknesses except the thirst, and a cold blooded killer works better than anything the comics ever had to offer. You don't mess with a winning formula I've tried to read Blade comics and they don't get it.I would disagree that Blade isn't a deep thinker in the movies he speaks Russian,Czech , as well as reading and writing in the vampire language.

Blade from the movies is a character that doesn't have legs since he's this one dimensional no emotions guy. And indeed nothing has been done since with him other than the failed tv series. You look at those movies and other than Frost and Blade there's nobody that really stands out since nothing was fleshed out much. you see Blade in the movie as better but the whole Universe and its characters as a whole were better in the comics, they really came off as three-dimensional characters. The Blade movies were a flash in the pan MTV characters, trying to insert "cool" music, "cool" gore and "cool" characters trying to look good rather than act. Blade speaking tongues in the flick was artifical at best. "Let him say a few words in other languages to show him he's cultivated!". That's pretty pathetic and again was made to make Wesley Snipes look good. The comic version of Blade is more deep, not for the different languages he speaks off. He come off as a human being that talks, feel, have different degrees of discussions and thoughts. In the movies, Blade is this wooden guy that has zero range of emotion. That is why the first flick should have been one off since they couldn't do anything else with the character after that. It was a fun moody action flick with good-looking people and vampires. And they should have left it at that.

 

[DarKush]

SS makes some good points. However, I think he/she are being too harsh on the films. I think Wesley infused Blade with some humanity. It's there with his relationship with Whistler-they are more than partners, there's a father-son bond. Why the heck would Blade risk all to go save Whistler in Blade 2 if he was completely cold blooded? Why wouldn't he just stake Whistler instead of converting him back to human? And even though I think the fall out after Whistler's death wasn't handled well, we at least got to see how the fight went out of Blade after he realized that Whistler was dead. Blade's scenes with his mother in Blade 1, when he 'released' her was also good. Also, there's hints of something occurring between Blade and Dr. Karen Jenson in Blade 1-though heaven forbid, having a romantic relationship between two black people in a comic book/action movie-and Blade develops feelings for the vampire lady, Nyssa?, in Blade 2. So, there is emotion there, its just largely kept bundled up.

Now, for the TV series, there was a big drop off. I would have to look at the episode with Richard Roundtree as Blade's father again, and also the one where he dreams about his mother, but for the most part Blade was one-note and existed primarily to be Kara's muscle far too much during the run of the series. I also feel they downgraded him intelligence wise. I mean, he actually told Shen once that Shen was the 'smart one'. What's up with that?

I think the aesthetics of the movies, their take on vampires, and Snipe's dynamic performance put Blade over for a lot of fans. However, I can concede that the movie/TV Blade is a static character. I used to debate some about TV Blade having a relationship and many couldn't conceive of that, they thought it would make him look weak, and I think the cold/eunuch portrayal of Blade in the films is part of the reason for that. I also think there is something unsettling about black sexuality that prevents Hollywood and many fans from finding it acceptable, unless of course the black person is messing with someone not black, is an alien, or will die soon after.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience with Blade as a comic character. I've read Blade: Black and White, the Guggenheim Blade series, the Captain Britain books, and an older book or two. The look of the films and TV show were much better. However, I liked how the 70s Blade actually did have relationships, how there seemed to be more places you could take the comics character. Guggenheim tried to do that to some extent, but I didn't care for Lucas Cross (now Blade has a white father?), or the stump with wooden stake or gun sticking out of one of Blade's hands. Though I did like how Guggenheim was trying to lengthen Blade's life span and give him more of a backstory in the flashback scenes of that series. Even though he didn't get much face time in the Captain Britain books and they gave him a ridiculous haircut, I did like the fact that he had a relationship with a woman, a vampire no less.

Personally I wouldn't mind a fresh take on the character. One in which he can be badass (Nick Knight, Angel, Winchesters, Buffy, Selene), but like those characters still have feelings, still have relationships. I don't think it has to be one or the other. I also would like him to be an expert on vampires. His lair should be filled with books on them, and I wouldn't mind seeing him reading and studying them in brief scenes. In lieu of books, computer disks or ports. As much as I like the black trenchcoat with a sword hilt sticking out of it, I think Blade should go back to being a hunter that blends in with his environment more. His movie inspired look is just too noticeable. And its time to let the box cut go. Chaykin made it even worse, keeping the box cut but giving him a curl too. And then having him in tight black leather.

I just don't think Marvel knows what to do with Blade. They had a gold mine, and perhaps still do though I know Blade's star has definitely faded after Trinity and the TV show, but still a kickass MAX series would be great. Marvel keeps Punisher at the forefront despite three less than successful films, why not push to revive and maybe reimagine Blade, bringing together aspects of both the films and the comics. Get Jason Aaron to write it. Or maybe Reginald Hudlin, Christopher Priest, John Ridley, JMS, Kevin Grevioux, Dwanye McDuffy, John Maberry.

 

[Paradox1]

Blade from the movies is a character that doesn't have legs since he's this one dimensional no emotions guy. And indeed nothing has been done since with him other than the failed tv series. You look at those movies and other than Frost and Blade there's nobody that really stands out since nothing was fleshed out much. you see Blade in the movie as better but the whole Universe and its characters as a whole were better in the comics, they really came off as three-dimensional characters. The Blade movies were a flash in the pan MTV characters, trying to insert "cool" music, "cool" gore and "cool" characters trying to look good rather than act. Blade speaking tongues in the flick was artifical at best. "Let him say a few words in other languages to show him he's cultivated!". That's pretty pathetic and again was made to make Wesley Snipes look good. The comic version of Blade is more deep, not for the different languages he speaks off. He come off as a human being that talks, feel, have different degrees of discussions and thoughts. In the movies, Blade is this wooden guy that has zero range of emotion. That is why the first flick should have been one off since they couldn't do anything else with the character after that. It was a fun moody action flick with good-looking people and vampires. And they should have left it at that.

The comics can afford to go into the emotion and thoughts of a character cause comics are like a soap opera people die they come back,they fall in love, they mourn, somebody schemes to get em and so on. They can be afforded the time to go through a various range of emotions.Movies have to be faster they have to concentrate on the big events.Blade wasn't afforded the time to mourn for Whistler his surrogate father. You don't think he feels compassion he could of killed Frost in part one but he choose to save a human he didn't even know over getting a man he hated more than life itself.All of Blade's emotion and feelings like love,lost, hatred and anger are focused into one noble cause ridding the world of vampires.

Blade of the movies was much molded of the same clay as Batman the animated series. Where he has a single goal keeping the innocent safe. To that end they try to sacrifice the things that makes them human that would also take them away from that goal like love, and family.But no one cared more for their fellow man than Blade that is why he sacrificed so much for them including denying his own murderous nature.

 

[DarKush]

Paradox, you also make some good points, however there are action movies/comic book movies in which the hero's relationships, particularly romantic relationships, are a significant part of the film:

-Superman I, II, Returns
-Batman, Batman Returns, The Dark Knight
-Spider-Man films
-Hulk films
-Punisher (Thomas Jane)
-Daredevil
-Ghost Rider
-Fantastic Four films
-X-Men films (including Wolverine)
-The Spirit
-Iron Man (Tony at least gets down with that reporter and there's the unrequited feelings he and Pepper display)

There's nothing that could've prevented Blade from also featuring a love interest. Dr. Jenson and Nyssa probably fit that category, but it seemed that TPTB were reluctant to take Blade there. There was even a deleted scene that implied that Blade and Nyssa had sex, according to director Del Toro. In the original Blade 2 script Blade and Nyssa did have a sex scene, if I recall. Wesley Snipes also wanted Blade to have a sex scene, but Goyer never let him have one, even in Trinity, a movie Goyer had pretty much free reign over.

I don't want to equate sex with love, but I use it as a way to show emotion and connection. It was something Blade's character wasn't really allowed to do. What little we saw, it was because of Snipe's acting ability.

 

[Stripesy Strip]

SS makes some good points. However, I think he/she are being too harsh on the films. I think Wesley infused Blade with some humanity. It's there with his relationship with Whistler-they are more than partners, there's a father-son bond. Why the heck would Blade risk all to go save Whistler in Blade 2 if he was completely cold blooded? Why wouldn't he just stake Whistler instead of converting him back to human? And even though I think the fall out after Whistler's death wasn't handled well, we at least got to see how the fight went out of Blade after he realized that Whistler was dead. Blade's scenes with his mother in Blade 1, when he 'released' her was also good. Also, there's hints of something occurring between Blade and Dr. Karen Jenson in Blade 1-though heaven forbid, having a romantic relationship between two black people in a comic book/action movie-and Blade develops feelings for the vampire lady, Nyssa?, in Blade 2. So, there is emotion there, its just largely kept bundled up.

Now, for the TV series, there was a big drop off. I would have to look at the episode with Richard Roundtree as Blade's father again, and also the one where he dreams about his mother, but for the most part Blade was one-note and existed primarily to be Kara's muscle far too much during the run of the series. I also feel they downgraded him intelligence wise. I mean, he actually told Shen once that Shen was the 'smart one'. What's up with that?

I think the aesthetics of the movies, their take on vampires, and Snipe's dynamic performance put Blade over for a lot of fans. However, I can concede that the movie/TV Blade is a static character. I used to debate some about TV Blade having a relationship and many couldn't conceive of that, they thought it would make him look weak, and I think the cold/eunuch portrayal of Blade in the films is part of the reason for that. I also think there is something unsettling about black sexuality that prevents Hollywood and many fans from finding it acceptable, unless of course the black person is messing with someone not black, is an alien, or will die soon after.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience with Blade as a comic character. I've read Blade: Black and White, the Guggenheim Blade series, the Captain Britain books, and an older book or two. The look of the films and TV show were much better. However, I liked how the 70s Blade actually did have relationships, how there seemed to be more places you could take the comics character. Guggenheim tried to do that to some extent, but I didn't care for Lucas Cross (now Blade has a white father?), or the stump with wooden stake or gun sticking out of one of Blade's hands. Though I did like how Guggenheim was trying to lengthen Blade's life span and give him more of a backstory in the flashback scenes of that series. Even though he didn't get much face time in the Captain Britain books and they gave him a ridiculous haircut, I did like the fact that he had a relationship with a woman, a vampire no less.

Personally I wouldn't mind a fresh take on the character. One in which he can be badass (Nick Knight, Angel, Winchesters, Buffy, Selene), but like those characters still have feelings, still have relationships. I don't think it has to be one or the other. I also would like him to be an expert on vampires. His lair should be filled with books on them, and I wouldn't mind seeing him reading and studying them in brief scenes. In lieu of books, computer disks or ports. As much as I like the black trenchcoat with a sword hilt sticking out of it, I think Blade should go back to being a hunter that blends in with his environment more. His movie inspired look is just too noticeable. And its time to let the box cut go. Chaykin made it even worse, keeping the box cut but giving him a curl too. And then having him in tight black leather.

I just don't think Marvel knows what to do with Blade. They had a gold mine, and perhaps still do though I know Blade's star has definitely faded after Trinity and the TV show, but still a kickass MAX series would be great. Marvel keeps Punisher at the forefront despite three less than successful films, why not push to revive and maybe reimagine Blade, bringing together aspects of both the films and the comics. Get Jason Aaron to write it. Or maybe Reginald Hudlin, Christopher Priest, John Ridley, JMS, Kevin Grevioux, Dwanye McDuffy, John Maberry.

I think they could strike a balance between the movie Blade and the comic mythos of Blade. But they would have to find another actor for that. Somebody that can be tough and still have depth. Altough the fact that he's half vampire in the movie make far too removed for him to be able to do that. Also the thing they have to go away from is the whole video clip/techno music/too cool for school aestetics because there is so little you can do with that, as the third Blade movie showed. Had they pulled back from that a bit, we could at least have had a decent Dracula. But in Goyer's World, Dracula had to be the cool guy at the club, had to have piercings and so forth.

My favorite way to bring back Blade would be on television but not necesseraly how they did it with the Spike show. I would bring back the whole "Tomb of Dracula" cast, just like they were in the comic. As 3-dimensional characters that you can follow every week and get to know more. I think that would be kickass. And tv is such the perfect place to have this huge cast that fights evil, every genre shows of the last 5, 6 years has had that from Buffy to Torchwood to Stargate, etc...

For the comics, I wouldn't mind both a Tomb of Dracula/Night Stalkers series and a Blade one(esp. a MAX!).

 

[DarKush]

SS,

I don't know much about the Tomb of Dracula books but if that cast was anything like Torchwood or even the Buffy and Angel casts I'm sure it was some good stuff, so long as Blade is the central character. To some extent the Blade series did attempt to have a group with Blade, Krista, and Shen but Krista got the lion's share of attention and development.

I don't think they would've had to go with another actor to show a more multifaceted Blade. Snipes was an accomplished dramatic and action star by the time he starred in the first Blade. He could've handled that. I think it was more an issue of direction, but I personally think that ties back into something bigger than Blade, and that's the protrayal of black males in movies/media. Blade fit the trend more than breaking it, of being a basically 'cool' badass but sexless and stunted emotionally. He seems, for the most part, to only display rage. Though I think Snipes's acting skills imbued the character with more. Kirk Jones's lesser skills didn't, for the most part, though I think he gave an honest effort.

I also don't think that Blade being half-vamp should be a hindrance on him showing emotion. Nick Knight, Spike, Angel, the dude on Vampire Diaries, the dudes in Twilight or Moonlight, and countless other full vamps show emotion, have vulnerabilities, and some fall in love, etc. If anything, being half-vamp should open Blade up to having emotions, of being tugged between two worlds. Sort of like Mr. Spock on Star Trek. The movies tried to do that, to some extent, but probably not enough. Particularly the human side. He was filled with such cold-blooded rage, he was doing to vamps what they did to humans. He pretty much gave up his human half and became the thing he hated, even though he might not have seen it that way. Whistler and Dr. Jenson were breaks on that, they pricked Blade's humanity enough to keep him from going full dark side. Shen could've been that type of break on him too. And also in the second movie Blade was confronted by the idea that not all vamps were evil. That internal struggle was one of the best parts about the movie character and is something I hope any future Blade films/projects develop further if they keep him half-vamp.

I don't mind Goyer's aesthetics. It was one of the best part about the series. He made vamps look cool, sleek, and modern. I didn't mind his take on Drake, though the clothing choices left a lot to be desired. Calling him Drake was interesting. But he created a potentially interesting new twist on the character but left him with nothing to do. Why in the world would he have this guy run from Blade in their first meeting? This is the one dude Blade should've been backing up from.

Goyer also didn't give the vamps much of a plan beyond resurrecting Drake. I guess he was supposed to kill Blade, but that felt too small a task for the progenitor of their species. So, I think the plot was what killed Trinity and Goyer's desire to ram Biel and Reynolds down our throats instead of wrapping up Blade's storyline properly. Parker Posey and her lame crew didn't help either. None of these vamps were threatening enough. Deacon Frost, Nomak, and the Reapers were all kickass. The reaper-form of Drake was awesome but not enough was done with him.

 

[Stripesy Strip]

I also don't think that Blade being half-vamp should be a hindrance on him showing emotion. Nick Knight, Spike, Angel, the dude on Vampire Diaries, the dudes in Twilight or Moonlight, and countless other full vamps show emotion, have vulnerabilities, and some fall in love, etc. If anything, being half-vamp should open Blade up to having emotions, of being tugged between two worlds. Sort of like Mr. Spock on Star Trek. The movies tried to do that, to some extent, but probably not enough. Particularly the human side. He was filled with such cold-blooded rage, he was doing to vamps what they did to humans. He pretty much gave up his human half and became the thing he hated, even though he might not have seen it that way. Whistler and Dr. Jenson were breaks on that, they pricked Blade's humanity enough to keep him from going full dark side. Shen could've been that type of break on him too. And also in the second movie Blade was confronted by the idea that not all vamps were evil. That internal struggle was one of the best parts about the movie character and is something I hope any future Blade films/projects develop further if they keep him half-vamp.

I think the fact that Blade was half-vampire in the movie played a lot for the character to look removed. It gave him a mysterious side(wich is good) but the fact that he was cold and emotionless was not so much because of the rage, but because he had to control himself to not let the beast, the vampire, come out.

 

[DarKush]

So laughing would unleash the vampiric part of himself? If he let loose his rage, why couldn't he let loose his joy? Couldn't having someone to care about also keep the thirst at bay, to some extent. And to some extent it did. He cared for Whistler.

I think part of the coldness/the blank slate came from a deep sense of disgust at what he was and hatred for the people that had made him a monster and took away any chance he had at a normal life.

I think the approach to Blade worked for the films, but largely because of Wesley's performance. Without that the character really becomes static. Particularly if the writers, and many of the fans, can't see Blade as more than a cold blooded killer. I would like to see him haunted by what he's done, what he's become or afraid of becoming. I would have liked to have seen more inner conflict, particularly on the TV show, and a character that challenged him, that pricked that inner conflict like Karen and Nyssa did in the movies.

Batman, Punisher, and Hulk all have to some extent struggled with their dark sides on film. We've seen that too with Wolverine, Daredevil, and Spider-Man. Blade struggled with his too, particuarly in the first and second films. There was little exploration of this duality in Trinity and not enough in the series. I don't think exploring Blade's fears or vulnerabilities makes him look weak. I think it would make him a more interesting character. In the TV series, it was Krista's struggle between light and dark that drove a good deal of the series.

Also, in any revival of the character I would like to see, or get hints of Blade's inner life. I just can't buy that he hunts vampires 24/7. It works in a series of two-hour movies every couple years, but not for a TV show. Not that he has to have long term/lasting friendships or relationships, or perhaps he could go from job to job or something. Just that nobody does the same thing all day, every day, and I would like to see some ideas of what Blade does in his off time.

 

[Paradox1]

Paradox, you also make some good points, however there are action movies/comic book movies in which the hero's relationships, particularly romantic relationships, are a significant part of the film:

-Superman I, II, Returns
-Batman, Batman Returns, The Dark Knight
-Spider-Man films
-Hulk films
-Punisher (Thomas Jane)
-Daredevil
-Ghost Rider
-Fantastic Four films
-X-Men films (including Wolverine)
-The Spirit
-Iron Man (Tony at least gets down with that reporter and there's the unrequited feelings he and Pepper display)

There's nothing that could've prevented Blade from also featuring a love interest. Dr. Jenson and Nyssa probably fit that category, but it seemed that TPTB were reluctant to take Blade there. There was even a deleted scene that implied that Blade and Nyssa had sex, according to director Del Toro. In the original Blade 2 script Blade and Nyssa did have a sex scene, if I recall. Wesley Snipes also wanted Blade to have a sex scene, but Goyer never let him have one, even in Trinity, a movie Goyer had pretty much free reign over.

I don't want to equate sex with love, but I use it as a way to show emotion and connection. It was something Blade's character wasn't really allowed to do. What little we saw, it was because of Snipe's acting ability.

Let me say that first for many of these characters in these films the love interest is not just central to the story but also the character.What is Spider-Man without Mary Jane,Clark Kent without Louis Lane, Dr.Banner without Betty Ross, Mr.Fantastic without the Invisible Woman ,Daredevil without Electra,Tony Stark without a woman ,and Cyclops without Jean Grey?

The rest of the movies could of been done without the love interest and really made no difference in the reception the movie got.I'm not saying Blade doesn't need a love interest I'm saying he doesn't need one to be a well rounded character in a movie. I think of Blade in the movies as your pedestrian workaholic who puts everything on the back burner for success in his chosen profession.

 

[DarKush]

I disagree with you that if a love interest was included in a Blade film that they shouldn't be well rounded. To me you would want them to care about her so that they would empathize with Blade if she was in danger or died.

I'm also not sure I agree with you that some of these films could work without a love interest. The writers and producers of those films didn't think so. Even the Blade TV show understood the power of featuring relationships, they just focused on Krista and Marcus and not Blade when it came time to develop one.

Blade being a workaholic, being obsessed I have no problem with. But even in the Batman films, a little space is made for a love interest. The only reason I'm focusing on the love interest is because that character can be a good vehicle to show the main characters multiple layers, and do so in a way that's relatable to a good deal of the audience. And maybe even expanding the audience. I've got a good guess that female fans are the major forces behind the Twilight franchise, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries. Also, probably the Charlaine Harris and Laurell K. Hamilton books and the wealth of paranormal romance books out now.

If Blade is presented with a choice and chooses his profession over the love interest, I want to see that, I want to see the inner conflict, and I want to see the repercussions. I don't want that totally off the board even before the cameras start to roll. I think that limits him as a character if he only exists to kill. Now if they want to show how he's caged himself inside his hatred and explore that, I've got no problem with, but Goyer's approach, particularly in the TV series, was just to leave him static, with no changes, no up or down.

 

[Paradox1]

I disagree with you that if a love interest was included in a Blade film that they shouldn't be well rounded. To me you would want them to care about her so that they would empathize with Blade if she was in danger or died.

I'm also not sure I agree with you that some of these films could work without a love interest. The writers and producers of those films didn't think so. Even the Blade TV show understood the power of featuring relationships, they just focused on Krista and Marcus and not Blade when it came time to develop one.

Blade being a workaholic, being obsessed I have no problem with. But even in the Batman films, a little space is made for a love interest. The only reason I'm focusing on the love interest is because that character can be a good vehicle to show the main characters multiple layers, and do so in a way that's relatable to a good deal of the audience. And maybe even expanding the audience. I've got a good guess that female fans are the major forces behind the Twilight franchise, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries. Also, probably the Charlaine Harris and Laurell K. Hamilton books and the wealth of paranormal romance books out now.

If Blade is presented with a choice and chooses his profession over the love interest, I want to see that, I want to see the inner conflict, and I want to see the repercussions. I don't want that totally off the board even before the cameras start to roll. I think that limits him as a character if he only exists to kill. Now if they want to show how he's caged himself inside his hatred and explore that, I've got no problem with, but Goyer's approach, particularly in the TV series, was just to leave him static, with no changes, no up or down.

You must of misunderstood what I wrote cause I said Blade doesn't need a love interest to be well rounded not the love interest.Most of those vampire books are written by women for women.They take a mythology and a reality in some stories of people drinking blood for their lifeforce into this overly dramatic series of books and tv shows.I have to speak for myself but for the most part I hate this interpretation of vampires. There have been movies and tv shows that did a good job of balancing the romance with brutal nature of killing such as "Interview with a Vampire" and"True blood".

Honestly I could of done without Eva Mendez in Ghostrider great to look at but she was a throw in.The movie could of been much better without her not cause she is bad actress but they could used her screen time for action.I am not in favor or have interest of making Blade into making him some kind Angel type character from the Buffy series.Which everybody seems to want which is such a ugly thought.

 

[DarKush]

I disagree that Eva Mendes character was a waste. Her being in the film wasn't a problem. A lack of action and Cage's bored performance were bigger issues, IMO. But Eva's character helped serve as a way to help redeem Blaze. It provided a window to help explore Blaze's past so we could see how he came to be and what he lost. And Eva's character became the key to his potential future. Her being in the film was a big impetus for the character to move forward.

I don't want Blade to be like Angel. Though I think Angel was a more multifaceted character. Angel wasn't the only vampire/vamp hunter character I mentioned. I just want to see a wider range of emotions for Blade and a more kinds of relationships. As presented in the movies, Blade was sort of one-note. Like I said before, that worked for a few movies, but that kind of thing is hard to do over the course of a TV show or comic book series. Now, some can pull it off, like the Punisher MAX series, so I'm not saying it can't be done, particularly in comics, but its just hard to do. And I don't think its that interesting, particularly if Blade lives in this fantastic, supernatural world for him to be a drab character.

I do agree that True Blood does a good balancing act. Compton has a variety of emotions-he can be bloodthirsty one second and tender the next. He's both a knight and a monster. Truth be told, I'm not the biggest fan of a lot of the paranormal romance stuff myself. But I have been digging the comic book adaptation of Hamilton's Anita Blake stories. They are well drawn and there's a lot of blood in them. There's also L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress series-I've read a couple of these novels. Where some might short hand Banks's huntress Damali Richards as a 'black Buffy', all the two main characters share in common is that they are both young female vampire hunters. Banks's weaves a pretty well developed mythology for her series. And I think Hamilton and Rice have also did a good job with building a mythology in their various books. I'm not opposed to different interpretations on vamps, though I tend to like Blade, Underworld, 30 Days of Night and stuff like that more than the Twilight variety. Though I have to confess that Vampire Diaries isn't that bad. I wanted to hate the show, but I just couldn't.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Now that Marvel is finally melding their world.....Hulk ,Iron Man ,Capt. America, & Thor, all eventually into the Avengers. Marvel should really consider Blade , Ghost Rider & possibly Moon Knight sharing the same universe in movies, leading them to a Sons of Midnight team. To me sounds like a supernatural team of heroes would be a sleeper hit.