Movies

What is Marvel Doing with Blade?

By  · Published on October 10th, 2016

Some theories and desires for everyone’s favorite vampire hybrid.

Over the course of the last few years, there have been a number of rumors around the Blade franchise following the property’s rights returning to Marvel in 2013. The most popular rumor is of another feature film in the works, with Wesley Snipes returning to play the titular character a fourth time. The 54-year old actor has hinted at returning to the character, but it’s hard to imagine he still has the physicality to carry a Blade film, especially considering his somewhat pedestrian turn in The Expendables 3 in 2014.

What seems more likely is that Marvel might take a page from the Star Wars book and treat Blade like they did Han Solo, allowing him to show up in a mentor-like role for a new generation of heroes. The most prevalent of these rumors includes talk of a Blade film that features Blade’s daughter, Fallon Grey. In 2015, Marvel announced a comic involving Grey as The New Hunter, written by Tim Seeley. Right before its October 2015 release, it was delayed (and remains delayed indefinitely). At the time, this was what Seeley had to say about the character:

She’s a sort of ‘anti-Peter Parker.’ She’s popular, she’s well-liked and it seems like the world is her oyster. But, the expectations that come with being so damn perfect are starting to break her down, and that’s before she learns she’s the heir to a Daywalking-Monster-Stabbing-Empire.

It was reported at the time by the folks at Bleeding Cool that Marvel was delaying the comic so as to be very careful with the character, as they had plans to bring her to screen and wanted to make sure they got it right. Since late 2015, very little has been said about Fallon Grey, but Wesley Snipes has continued to hint at wanting to return to Blade.

This was all reignited this weekend following comments that Kate Beckinsale gave to the crowd at New York Comic-Con during a panel for the upcoming Underworld: Blood Wars. When asked if we’d ever see her Seline in a movie alongside Snipes’ Blade, she had this to say:

“No. We had that idea. No. They’re busy. They’re doing something with Blade.”

Considering the fact that this will be the final Underworld film, the chances of a Seline/Blade team-up is now lost to the margins of fan fiction. However, the fact that “they’re doing something with Blade” is not only noteworthy, but relevant to some of the big questions that lie ahead for Marvel. Not about the Cinematic Universe mind you, but about another platform on which Marvel has a big stake: Netflix.

On the most recent episode of Storm of Spoilers, our conversation morphed from talking Luke Cage to making wild guesses about where Marvel’s Netflixverse might go in the future. What kind of stories will they tell once they are done with their Defenders-centric storylines? Who are among the next generation of street-level heroes that could make this grittier, more adult world their home?

The perfect answer is a Blade series focused on Blade’s daughter Fallon. It’s pure speculation at this point, but I’m not the only one curious about where Blade is headed. The challenge for Marvel Studios would be fitting Blade into their shared universe on the big screen. That seems less likely, but a story about the underworld of vampires and daywalkers to go along with the more mystical and sinister offerings of the Netflix shows might work well. Plus, tell me you don’t want to find out what happens when a vampire tries to bite Luke Cage…

For more of this discussion and chatter about other fun Marvel Netflix ideas (including my favorite never-going-to-happen pitch about Spider-Man and Carnage), give the latest Storm of Spoilers a listen below.

Related Topics: ,

Neil Miller is the persistently-bearded Publisher of Film School Rejects, Nonfics, and One Perfect Shot. He's also the Executive Producer of the One Perfect Shot TV show (currently streaming on HBO Max) and the co-host of Trial By Content on The Ringer Podcast Network. He can be found on Twitter here: @rejects (He/Him)