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Blade (franchise)

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Blade
The Blade Trilogy DVD box set
Directed by
Written by
Based on
Starring
Music by
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
1998–2006
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$164 million[1]
Box office$417 million[1]

Blade is a superhero film and television franchise based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Wesley Snipes as Blade in the original trilogy, and Sticky Fingaz in the television series. The original trilogy was directed by Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer, the latter of whom also wrote the films and served as a co-writer for the first and last two episodes of the television series. The original films and television series were distributed by New Line Cinema from 1998 to 2006.

The character was created in 1973 for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan as a supporting character in the 1970s comic The Tomb of Dracula. In the comic, Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire while she was in labor with Blade, rendering him immune to being turned into a vampire; following the release of the 1998 film Blade, the character was retroactively made into a dhampir and redesigned to match his movie counterpart. In 2024, Snipes reprised his role as the character in the film Deadpool & Wolverine.

Films

[edit]
Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter Producers
Blade August 21, 1998 Stephen Norrington David S. Goyer Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, and Robert Engelman
Blade II March 22, 2002 Guillermo del Toro Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, and Patrick Palmer
Blade: Trinity December 8, 2004 David S. Goyer Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, David S. Goyer, and Lynn Harris

Blade (1998)

[edit]
Main article: Blade (1998 film)

Blade grows up to become a vampire hunter, swearing vengeance on the creatures that killed his mother. He teams up with a man called Whistler, a retired vampire hunter and weapons expert.

Meanwhile, in the urban underworld, a feud is started between "pure-blood" vampires and those who had been human, but were "turned". Blade becomes aware of this and investigates further, uncovering a plot to raise the blood god La Magra, something he must stop at all costs.

Blade II (2002)

[edit]
Main article: Blade II

A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. "Reapers" are vampires so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Now their quickly expanding population threatens the existence of vampires, and soon there won't be enough humans in the world to satisfy their bloodlust. Blade, Whistler and an armory expert named Scud are curiously summoned by the Shadow Council. The council reluctantly admits that they are in a dire situation and they require Blade's assistance. Blade then tenuously enters into an alliance with The Bloodpack, an elite team of vampires who were trained in all modes of combat to defeat Blade. They'll use their skills instead to help wipe out the Reaper threat. Blade's team and the Bloodpack are the only line of defense which can prevent the Reaper population from wiping out the vampire and human populations.

Blade: Trinity (2004)

[edit]
Main article: Blade: Trinity

In the final installment of the series, the vampires succeed in framing Blade for the killing of a human (who was in fact a familiar being used as bait). Blade, now in the public's eye and wanted by the FBI, is forced to join forces with the Nightstalkers, a human clan of vampire hunters. Blade, Hannibal King, and Abigail Whistler go after Danica Talos, who has succeeded in locating and resurrecting Drake, also known as Dracula, the first vampire and by far the most powerful. In order to stop him, Blade has to release a virus that will wipe out all vampires, but being a dhampir, he must face the possibility of also dying as a result.

Cancelled projects

[edit]

In October 2008, Blade director Stephen Norrington was confirmed to be developing a prequel trilogy to Blade, featuring Stephen Dorff reprising his role as Deacon Frost.[2][3] However, by August 2012, the film rights to Blade had reverted to Marvel Studios.[4]

In October 2016, star of the Underworld film series Kate Beckinsale stated that a crossover film between the franchises had been discussed as a sequel to Blade: Trinity with Snipes returning, but was declined because Marvel Studios had plans to introduce the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[5]

Television

[edit]
SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedCreatorNetwork
Blade: The Series113June 28, 2006September 13, 2006David S. GoyerSpike

Blade: The Series (2006)

[edit]
Main article: Blade: The Series

In 2006, Spike TV aired a thirteen-episode series set after the events of Blade: Trinity, with Sticky Fingaz portraying Blade, replacing Snipes. Goyer (who wrote the scripts for all three of the films and directed the third film) also created the series.

Cast and crew

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Cast

[edit]
Character Films Television series
Blade Blade II Blade:
Trinity 		Blade:
The Series
1998 2002 2004 2006
Blade
Eric Brooks / The Daywalker 		Wesley Snipes Wesley Snipes
André Hyde-BraithwaiteY 		Wesley Snipes Sticky Fingaz
Jon Kent EthridgeY
Abraham Whistler Kris Kristofferson Adrian Glynn McMorran
Deacon Frost
La Magra 		Stephen Dorff Mentioned
Dr. Karen Jenson N'Bushe Wright
Quinn Donal Logue
'Mercury' Arly Jover
Vanessa Brooks Sanaa Lathan
Racquel Traci Lords
Gitano Dragonetti Udo Kier
Eli Damaskinos Thomas Kretschmann
Jared Nomak Luke Goss
'Priest' Tony Curran
Nyssa Damaskinos Leonor Varela
Dieter Reinhardt Ron Perlman
Asad Danny John-Jules
'Snowman' Donnie Yen
'Chupa' Matt Schulze
'Scud' Norman Reedus
Dracula / Drake Mentioned Dominic Purcell
Abigail Whistler Jessica Biel
Hannibal King Ryan Reynolds
Danica Talos Parker Posey
Dr. Edgar Vance John Michael Higgins
Jarko Grimwood Triple H
Asher Talos Callum Keith Rennie
FBI Agent Ray Cumberland James Remar
Hedges Patton Oswalt
Krista Starr Jill Wagner
Shen Nelson Lee
Marcus Van Sciver Neil Jackson
'Chase' Jessica Gower
FBI Agent Ray Collins Larry Poindexter

Crew

[edit]
Film Director Producer Writer Composer Cinematographer Editor
Blade Stephen Norrington Peter Frankfurt
Wesley Snipes
Robert Engelman
Andrew J. Horne 		David S. Goyer Mark Isham Theo van de Sande Paul Rubell
Blade II Guillermo del Toro Peter Frankfurt
Wesley Snipes
Patrick Palmer 		Marco Beltrami Gabriel Beristain Peter Amundson
Blade:
Trinity 		David S. Goyer Peter Frankfurt
Wesley Snipes
David S. Goyer
Lynn Harris 		Ramin Djawadi
The RZA 		Conrad Smart
Howard E. Smith

Reception

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Box office performance

[edit]
Film Release date Box office gross All time ranking Budget Reference
North America Other territories Worldwide North America
Blade August 21, 1998 $70,087,718 $61,095,812 $131,211,411 #724 $45 million [6][7]
Blade II March 22, 2002 $82,348,319 $72,661,713 $155,010,032 #558 $54 million [8]
Blade: Trinity December 8, 2004 $52,411,906 $76,493,460 $131,977,904 #1,036 $65 million [9]
Total $204,847,943 $210,250,985 $418,199,347 $164 million

Critical and public response

[edit]
Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article.
Critical and public response of Blade
Film Critical Public
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Blade 58% (109 reviews)[10] 47 (25 reviews)[11] A−[12]
Blade II 57% (150 reviews)[13] 52 (28 reviews)[14] B+[12]
Blade: Trinity 24% (167 reviews)[15] 38 (30 reviews)[16] B+[12]
Blade: The Series 50% (18 reviews)[17] 49 (15 reviews)[18] —

Music

[edit]

Year Title Chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
U.S. U.S. R&B
1998 Blade: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture
  • Released: August 25, 1998
  • Label: TVT
 36 28
2002 Blade II: The Soundtrack
  • Released: March 19, 2002
  • Label: Virgin
 26 23
2004 Blade: Trinity (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • Released: November 23, 2004
  • Label: New Line
 – 68

Video games

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  • Blade – based on Blade, released in 2000.[19]
  • Blade II – based on Blade II, released in 2002.[20]
  • Blade Trinity - based on Blade III, released in 2004 exclusively for mobile phones.[21]

Marvel Cinematic Universe

[edit]
Further information: Blade (upcoming film)

In May 2013, Marvel had a working script for a new Blade film.[22] Snipes said in July 2015 that he hoped to reprise the role in any future film and had discussed this with Marvel.[23][24][25] In 2019, Marvel Studios announced a Blade reboot set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with Mahershala Ali being cast as the title character.[26] It was scheduled to be released on November 7, 2025.[27] In October 2024, Disney removed the film from its release schedule.[28]

Snipes reprises his role as the character in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.[29]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Blade Franchise Box Office History - The Numbers". The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Norrington, Dorff Teaming on Blade Spin-Off". ComingSoon.net. July 7, 2009. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "'BLADE' Spinoff In Development: Will Feature STEPHEN DORFF Reprising DEACON FROST Role". Dietrichthrall.wordpress.com. July 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  4. ^ Kit, Borys (August 14, 2012). "Fox's Daredevil Rights on Verge of Reverting to Marvel as Ticking Clock Looms (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  5. ^ Jayson, Jay (October 7, 2016). "Marvel Is Doing Something With Blade According To Kate Beckinsale". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "Blade (1998)". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo, LLC. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  7. ^ "Blade Production Budget". The-Numbers. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  8. ^ "Blade II (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo, LLC. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  9. ^ "Blade: Trinity (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo, LLC. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  10. ^ "Blade". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 10, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  11. ^ "Blade". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  13. ^ "Blade II". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 10, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ^ "Blade II". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "Blade: Trinity". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 10, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  16. ^ "Blade: Trinity". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "Blade: The Series: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  18. ^ "Blade: The Series: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  19. ^ "Blade for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  20. ^ "Blade II for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Buchanan, Levi (December 17, 2004). "Blade: Trinity Review". IGN. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Kit, Borys; Bond, Paul (May 7, 2013). "Marvel Cliffhanger: Robert Downey Jr.'s $50 Million Sequel Showdown". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  23. ^ The Player: Wesley Snipes, Philip Winchester Interview – Comic-Con 2015. YouTube. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
  24. ^ Snipes "In Talks" With Marvel About Blade Reboot – IGN News. YouTube. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
  25. ^ Patten, Dominic (July 9, 2015). "Comic-Con: Wesley Snipes On 'Blade' Marvel Talks, 'The Player' & Spike Lee". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  26. ^ Galuppo, Mia (July 20, 2019). "Mahershala Ali to Star in 'Blade' Reboot for Marvel". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 9, 2023). "Marvel's 'Deadpool 3' Moves To July 2024 & 'Captain America: Brave New World' To 2025 As Disney Shakes Up Schedule Due To Actors Strike". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 22, 2024). "Marvel Studios' 'Blade' Removed From 2025 Release Schedule, Disney Dates 'Predator: Badlands' Instead". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 22, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  29. ^ Zee, Michaela (August 4, 2024). "Wesley Snipes Breaks Two Guinness World Records After Blade Return in 'Deadpool & Wolverine'". Variety.
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