In the previous decade, Marvel has set the scene on fire, and when they announced the cinematic return of the iconic vampire hunter Blade a few years ago, the fans’ excitement was uncontrolled.
The first Blade film, starring Wesley Snipes as the title character, was released in 1998, introducing this Marvel character to the cinematic universe. It was a strange case of a half-human, half-vampire who possessed all of the necessary vampire abilities without the normal flaws. With such a positive response to the first film, a sequel was always a possibility, and Blade II was released in 2002 to rave reviews.
The Blade films were Marvel’s first foray into the big leagues, and they quickly rose through the ranks of the superhero genre. Even though there were allegations of issues, Wesley Snipes owned the part, and the third film in the series, Blade: Trinity, did rather well at the box office.
You must have enjoyed the suspenseful plots and thrilling action sequences, but today we present you some lesser-known parts of the franchise that only die-hard fans are aware of. In this video, you will see behind-the-scenes antics as well as all the strange and obscure information about the movies that will astound you!
Wesley Snipes almost missed out on the role
It must be very hard to imagine anyone but him for this role that he brought to life with perfection. However, Wesley Snipes wasn’t really the first choice for the role, and he was actually being considered as someone who would play Black Panther. The first Blade movie had been a bit too long in the development process, and six long years went by preparing for the final touches.
During this time, LL Cool J was selected to play the part, and the makers even considered the likes of Laurence Fishburne and Denzel Washington as back-ups whom they would approach. But Wesley Snipes had one thing going for him, and it was his extensive training in martial arts. This was a crucial requirement for the role, and the executives decided that it would be smarter to go ahead with someone who is a martial arts expert.
It is also a funny story as to how Wesley Snipes agreed to play a role like Blade, in an era where superhero movies based on comic books hadn’t exactly made their mark yet. Apparently, the actor was sold on the idea of getting to kill loads of people in the film, and the license to be absolutely vicious and still be cheered by the viewers. He agreed to become a part of this iconic franchise, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Wesley Snipes didn’t really get along with the director David S. Goyer
Creative differences between directors and actors aren’t uncommon, and reports of rifts between them are always around the corner. However, the issues between David S. Goyer and Wesley Snipes became quite serious when the former was directing Blade: Trinity.
The actor hated the idea of Goyer being brought back to direct the movie. He had previously worked as a writer for the first Blade movie, but the director’s hat on him apparently made it difficult to work with him. Wesley Snipes has gone on record to say that Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro is his favorite among the three, and he simply refused to obey orders during the filming process.
He alleged script changes that minimized his role and refused to comply with simple orders of Goyer, which resulted in some clumsy CGI that had to be used to bridge the gap. Wesley Snipes reportedly stayed locked up in his trailer and he would smoke up all day without communicating properly with the director. He even went on to sue the studio and David Goyer because of certain breaches of contract.
Even for the first Blade movie, there were lots of fights between the director Stephen Norrington and the producer, but those were resolved after the shoot. In fact, the producer went on to praise the director for the wonderful Blade tattoos and other set designs that he personally monitored. Unfortunately for Blade: Trinity, things actually went ugly to uglier and you can imagine why it was the least fancied movie in the franchise!
Few know about an alternate Werewolf Ending
There were some changes made in Blade: Trinity that Wesley Snipes did not approve of. For instance, the importance allotted to the Nightstalkers, the human vampire hunters, was something he never wanted. However, they were prioritized quite a lot despite his protests, and there were even speculations of their own spinoff movie later. In one of the alternate endings of the movie, they could be seen taking down a werewolf in a strip club. This footage was never used, but it could have been interesting to see a werewolf ending!
Similarly, there was another alternate ending, where Blade was found and taken to the hospital in the end. After he wakes up, he simply fights everyone around and makes a daring escape attempt. We even see him threatening a doctor that he would feast on her blood, and it would have offered a darker climax for sure.
The famous Pearl costume wasn’t the easiest to handle
Do you remember Pearl, the incredibly obese vampire from the first Blade movie? Well, the makers opted for practical effects to get the desired look, and this meant that the actor playing the role, Eric Edwards, had to don a ridiculously huge costume. There were two other people who would move his right and left arm, and these men got inside the suit as well to make the movements possible.
Finally, they attached his head to the body of the suit, and it was a lengthy and tiring task that took around an hour every day. Getting into the suit, and even getting out of it was quite challenging, and the actor had to deal with the struggles during the filming of certain scenes.
The size of Pearl was gigantic, and this also meant that he couldn’t fit into a pre-designed set. Instead of moving the actor to the set, the makers would have to build a set around the actor because the movements were so restricted. The production designer, the director, and the stunt team were smart and capable enough to make it look so effortless, and it is no secret why we have a special place in our hearts for the practical effects of the days gone by!
Ryan Reynolds bagged Deadpool because of Blade: Trinity
We have all watched and loved Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, but there is an interesting story behind him getting selected for the role. It all boils down to his performance as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity. The one-liners were on point, and there was something about his comic timing that impressed the viewers and critics alike. When Wesley Snipes refused to shoot certain scenes, Hannibal King enjoyed more screen time.
Later, the actor went on to acknowledge the importance of this role because the character was not very different from Deadpool. His interpretation of Hannibal King, and the effortless portrayal definitely got him some brownie points when the casting was finalized for Deadpool.
The secret behind the breathtaking fight scenes
Well, the secret here is fairly simple – get people who are good enough to do the stunts! Blade movies are known for some spectacular hand-to-hand combat scenes, where Blade gets into some breathtaking fights with the vampires. We have already spoken about Wesley Snipes being a pro when it comes to martial arts, but that is not always enough to make a scene shine.
There have been several instances, where a wonderful martial artist fell short in an action scene simply because he lacked the support from the other end. Such was never the case with Wesley Snipes because the makers roped in genuine martial arts fighters to be antagonists or the stunt persons. Some of them had trained since they were kids, and this ensured that the good moves of Wesley Snipes were reciprocated by some awesome professionals who knew how to take the hit. This not only made Blade look awesome in the fight scenes, but it also enhanced the overall quality of the movies.
You could have seen Stan Lee and Michael Jackson in cameos
Marvel fans love those little guest appearances by Stan Lee, and we have been used to such cameos in the last decade or so. He even played the role of a cop who discovered Quinn’s burned corpse after the opening scene. This small role was finally edited out for unknown reasons, and we missed out on this added bonus! Blade II had planned an even greater surprise in the form of Michael Jackson in a cameo. He would have played the role of a vampire pimp in the House of Pain, but there were some scheduling conflicts that finally canceled the possibility.
Blade: Trinity could have gone very differently
David Goyer has been the writer for all the Blade movies, and before he was on board as a director for this sequel, it was supposed to go to Oliver Hirschbiegel. This critically acclaimed director won a lot of accolades for his work in the biopic Downfall, and he backed out because he wanted to focus on this project. Even Goyer had very different plans for the movie, and initially, he intended to turn it into a Mad Max-themed apocalyptic action flick. It would be premised in a post-apocalyptic world, where vampires roam free and strong.
The humans would be the helpless survivors, guided by the power and might of Blade, the heroic vampire hunter. However, he eventually dumped the idea because he felt it was becoming a bit too similar to Planet of the Apes. We don’t know about you, but we would have loved ourselves a Mad Max-like vampire action drama, and this crazy combination could have worked better than what Blade: Trinity turned out to be!
The Original movie had to deal with plenty of reshoots
The reason will surprise and amuse you at the same time. When Blade was in production, CGI still hadn’t been mastered perfectly. It was not only very expensive, but the end results were nowhere as good as the practical effects. However, despite all odds, the makers wanted to use CGI to amaze the viewers with a terrifying monster. All ideas rested on Deacon Frost, the notorious villain, who was supposed to turn into a CGI monstrosity of swirling blood in the final scene. The high ambitions of the producers soon turned to disappointment because the CGI effects looked terrible. The test audience rejected the look of this villain, and they had to go through a few reshoots to keep him in a humanoid form instead of the CGI garbage.
We all most had Morbius in Blade II
Wouldn’t it be a treat to watch the mighty Morbius fighting Blade? Well, from the looks of the climax of Blade, it was evident that a sequel would come along pretty soon. That is exactly what happened, and David Goyer actually revealed that he had plans of introducing Morbius in Blade II.
It had happened in comic book storylines before, and so, it wouldn’t exactly be an impossible duel! However, Sam Raimi was planning to use Morbius in Spider-Man 4, a movie that never got made eventually. He had blocked the character of Morbius, and he couldn’t be used for Blade II. It would have certainly been a very interesting addition if things had worked out back then!
Whistler was included in an episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series
This was easily one of the most-loved characters in the series, and Whistler as Blade’s father figure had to be brought back for the sequel as well. You would be surprised to know that previously, this character made a brief appearance in one of the Spider-Man: The Animated Series episodes. The makers of the show got their hands on Goyer’s script and they were immediately drawn to the character of Whistler, so much that they added him to the story.
All you need to know about the new Blade movie
The franchise was phenomenal and it was rather unfortunate that things came to an untimely halt back in the day. As of now, Marvel Studios is working on a new Blade movie that stars Mahershala Ali as Blade. Wesley Snipes previously revealed that he would love to reprise his role, but maybe because of his repeated run-ins with the law and the troublesome past experience of Blade: Trinity, he was not considered. The new movie is quite some time away, and the fans have to wait patiently, maybe for a couple of years! If the new attempt is as good as the original, it will certainly be worth all the waiting!