It’s time for the Daywalker to return.
Back in April, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that the studio has some ideas about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers 4 arrives in May 2019.
This summer has seen Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming being released in cinemas – Thor: Ragnarok is coming this November- but it’s clear that Marvel are ready to try something different from their normal ‘phases.’
As for their upcoming titles, we still have Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and The Wasp, the sequel to Spider: Man Homecoming and Infinity War: Parts One and Two to enjoy, but what then?
During an interview with JoBlo, Feige gave a small clue about what the studio might have planned and it’s an absolute doozy, Blade.
“My tenure at Marvel started 17 years ago, and there were two things that sort of launched the modern era. One was X-Men, which was the first thing that people said, ‘Oh, there’s life here.’ But a few years before that, there was Blade. A character nobody had heard of at all, had only appeared in a few issues of ‘Tomb of Dracula’ or something, turned into a big franchise. That was always a great lesson for me, where you go, ‘It doesn’t matter how well known the character is, it matters how cool the movie is.’ Which, many years later, would be the reason we do Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange. I think Blade is a legacy character now, and I think it would be fun to do something with him one day.”
It has been almost 20 years since Blade first kicked vampire ass on the big screen, here’s why the Daywalker is the perfect character for Marvel to inject some new blood into.
“Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice-skate uphill.”
As Feige alluded to earlier, Blade will undoubtedly go down as one of the most influential films of the 21st century. Why? Well, it showed film studios that comic-book properties – when done right – could be extremely lucrative at the box-office. With a budget of just $45 million, Stephen Norrington’s film went on to make $131.2 million worldwide.
Its success ushered in the comic-book genre – yes, we can call it a genre – while the sequels took $155,101,032 and $76,493,460 around the globe from budgets of $54m and $65m respectively.
Those box-office figures indicate that the audience demand for the character of Blade is there, but as is the norm with any studio production, it’s all about minimising the risk. This being said, Nostalgia always sells and a low budget could actually work to Blade’s advantage.
“Frooooooooooooooooooooost!”
There’s no denying that Fox have changed the game when it comes to graphic, sweary and R-rated features. Aside from being a superb film, Deadpool played it clever by keeping its budget down ($58 million) thus giving the director (Tim Miller) greater creative licence to make the film he wanted.
Hell, the greatest action film of the 21st century, The Raid, was made for just $2m.
It’s entirely reasonable for studios to insist on their tentpole films having a PG-13 rating – after all, it’s all about getting as much money as possible – but as Logan and John Wick proved, there’s a healthy demand for intelligent and original comic-book/action films that cater to grown-up sensibilities.
Blade doesn’t need to be an action-packed blockbuster that sees New York skyscrapers being destroyed by some spaceships and infinity stones. In fact, strip the budget back and make it a nasty, gritty and tough-as-nails vampire film that’s not afraid to show throats being ripped and bones breaking.
In order to succeed, any Blade reboot needs to drive a stake through the heart of these crucial traits.
1) Director, 2) casting, 3) plot.
“I promise you, you’ll be dead by dawn.”
Want to know something that’s practically impossible to define in cinema? How do you film something that’s incredibly cool and stylish.
If you’re looking for an answer, we implore you to watch Blade because Stephen Norrington is a director who knows how to choreograph, frame and shoot an amazing fight sequence. It’s a damn shame that the critical panning The League of Gentleman received caused him to step away from the Hollywood limelight because he’s a director with real flair and an eye for action.
It also helps that Wesley Snipes delivers his few lines perfectly throughout.
By keeping the dialogue to a minimum and amping up the gore, Norrington let Wesley Snipes off the leash and the results were memorable. It’s the small touches that combined to make Blade so sharp. The gothic set design, the grotesque and beautiful practical effects, the blistering soundtrack and the fact that every fight sequence was choreographed in such a way that you feel the punches.
All this without mentioning the small stylistic touches like Snipes nonchalantly refusing to even look at his enemies, or that expert way that he discards them with such disdain.
Guillermo del Toro stepped in to replace Norrington on Blade II and he crafted a wonderful creature feature that brought back everything we loved from the original while developing the world.
The Reapers were a nightmarish vision and the dynamic that Blade had with the Bloodpack made for some memorable scenes – especially when compared to the strongest relationship in the saga, the friendship between Blade and Whistler.
As for Blade: Trinity, we’ll get to that later.
Norrington was essentially an unknown when he landed the Blade gig. Del Toro is currently a household name due to his Oscar-winning epic Pan’s Labyrinth, but prior to Blade II, he was more famous for his superb Spanish-speaking films, Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone.
David Goyer was a rookie director when he was picked to helm the third installment, but Marvel have proven adept at finding some extremely gifted – and left of centre – directors to match their projects.
Case in point, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Kenneth Branagh (Thor), Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), the Russo brothers (Captain America: Civil War), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther). The list goes on.
Regarding any future Blade film, we hope they keep up this eye for directorial talent. If we’re pushed, we’d opt for Gareth Evans (The Raid) as the man behind the lens.
“Can you blush?”
You might find it hard to believe, but like every other film, the list of candidates to play Blade wasn’t just confined to Wesley Snipes.
At one point, LL Cool J, Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne were all considered for the role. Truth be told, it’s hard to imagine anyone else as the Daywalker apart Snipes. He just fits those fangs so perfectly.
In fact, Snipes has even been suggesting that he has some unfinished business with the character.
Never say never https://t.co/1ytUfmVFkn
— Wesley Snipes (@wesleysnipes) June 16, 2017
When it comes to another BLADE, there's always a possibility. 😁#SharpeningMyTeeth
— Wesley Snipes (@wesleysnipes) May 24, 2016
Balls in Marvels court…
— Wesley Snipes (@wesleysnipes) May 24, 2016
#Sniped pic.twitter.com/VxleAoKogr
— Wesley Snipes (@wesleysnipes) May 25, 2016
Granted, a reboot of the character would probably see someone else pick up the sword, but it’s worth remembering that Snipes was also a producer on the original trilogy through his company, Amen-Ra Films.
Surely any new version would benefit from having his input. Hell, he might even get the nod to return as the character. We doubt it, but he’s still in great shape.
This being said, Anthony Mackie, Michael B Jordan, Elijah Kelley and Aml Ameen have all been linked with the the role in recent years.
The producers would probably be looking for new blood as the titular character.
“Catch you at a bad time… comrade?”
Right, let’s address the two vampires that need slaying. The mistakes that Blade: Trinity made and the TV show that didn’t quite find an audience on Spike TV.
Blade: Trinity was an absolute mess with vampire dogs, Triple H, a barely believable Dracula, Ryan Reynolds essentially playing Deadpool and Blade becoming a supporting character in his own film.
Change is desperately needed and we suggest that the saga goes back to its roots.
In fact, the idea for a new adventure has already been teased via a deleted scene in Blade II.
Take a look as Whistler meets Eric Brooks (Blade) for the very first time. An origin story wouldn’t be the worst route to go down, however with such an exhaustive comic-book history, there’e endless stories that they could pursue.
Clip via – tangoandcash2
Why the hell not make a deep down and dirty prequel that follows Blade as he first develops the thirst. Given that they’ve got such a lucrative property on their hands, Marvel could also take another route that they’ve done before to reinvent a well known character, a standalone TV show.
After all, Marvel have nailed the shared universe of The Defenders and rebooted Daredevil in the best way possible.
How cool would it be to see some of Marvel’s darker characters like Blade, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Moon Knight, Daimon Hellstrom, Brother Voodoo, Werewolf by Night and Morbius all getting the arc they deserve?
Regardless of what happens, we think that it’s time for the Daywalker to return.
This should get your blood pumping.
