Long before the X-Men movie heralded in the superhero fad, Wesley Snipes scored box office hits playing Blade on the big screen. The character of the vampire hunter Blade debuted in the 1970’s in Marvel Comics’ Tomb of Dracula title. Blade wasn’t exactly an A-level character in the Marvel Universe. The cinematic success of the Blade movies derived from audience interest in vampires, action, and martial arts. Still, Blade remains a Marvel Comics property and bringing the character back to the big screen could mean big box office. Wesley Snipes expressed his strong interest in returning to the role. Not surprisingly, he did so via Twitter.
Currently, Marvel Studios hasn’t devised any plans for the return of Blade. If a decision is made to bring back the character, Snipes may not be asked to reprise the role. The third Blade movie failed at the box office and Snipes’ had a falling out with the New Line Cinema, the company that produced the trilogy.
Snipes did make the role famous and recasting the character could disappoint long-time fans. Marvel Comics Studio, however, may prefer to target new fans by completely reimagining Blade. Again, no projects featuring Blade seem to be forthcoming. Over at DC Entertainment, a Justice League Dark film may be produced. Justice League Dark features heroes with a horror-themed origin. Swamp Thing, Etrigan the Demon, and John Constantine are among the team’s members.
If Justice League Dark became a definitive “go project,” Marvel Studios could respond with a film featuring its horror characters. All this is speculative, though. Marvel’s film, television, and streaming programs so far do not intend to feature any of the classic horror characters. The success of Stephen King’s It and the sleeper hit Get Back may be leading a horror resurgence Marvel may choose not to ignore. Whether Wesley Snipes becomes part of the mix if Marvel horrors become greenlighted projects is a question mark.
