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The Blade Trilogy Scandal Explained: Everything That Went Wrong
Discussing Blade franchise's impact on the superhero genre, detailing its challenges, successes, and Wesley Snipes' surprising return as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine.
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Wesley Snipes faced numerous challenges during the Blade trilogy
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Blade's success paved the way for modern superhero films
Today’s pop culture is a powerhouse for the superhero genre. Dead pool and Wolverine have both received great reviews and grossed over a billion dollars globally. However, none of this could have been possible without Blade, the vampire-hunting antihero. Wesley Snipes played this character who was a star in a trilogy that made way for future superhero films including Marvel Cinematic Universe and Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan. Nevertheless, it was not an easy journey to bring Blade on the big screen.
The first Blade: A rocky start
First movie Blade had its share of obstacles. It is difficult to envision someone other than Wesley Snipes in the role but he was not the original choice. He initially wanted to play Black Panther instead of Blade. Before the project moved to New Line Cinema, LL Cool J was considered for it.
David S Goyer, who wrote all three scripts, was asked to write the script once again. That's when things went wrong. Some strange requests were made by the studio including if Blade could be white. This suggestion was vehemently rejected by Goyer describing it as terrible.
There were also hiccups during the first test screening of Blade. The final fight between Blade and his nemesis Deacon Frost did not go down well with many people due to its weakness but they laughed at it instead. In one version Frost turned into a blood tornado when he absorbed powers from La Magra, god of blood which even being too much by late 90s standards looked ridiculous at least. With significant reshoots, this eventually led to more reasonable and credible battles.
Attribution problems among others happened as well. At first New Line didn’t give credit where it should be attributed to authors of Blade Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan. To ensure their recognition in opening credits Goyer fought hard for them. This marked a beginning point that allegedly started the whole compensation fight for comic book creators as the superhero genre has continued to grow.
Blade: Trinity: A battle behind the scenes
The success of Blade led to a second film, Blade II, which was directed by Guillermo del Toro. Goyer’s script combined with del Toro’s unique visual style produced a hit. Thus, a third movie called Blade: Trinity was inevitable but it turned out to be hell on earth for everyone involved.
One of the main problems that existed between Snipes and Goyer who directed Blade: Trinity was tension between them. Initially, Goyer wanted to remain as writer and producer with another director taking over direction. However, when Oliver Hirschbiegel left to direct Downfall, Goyer had to step in. Snipes did not take kindly to this decision, leading to tensions on the set.
During an interview with Patton Oswalt about his role in Blade: Trinity, he revealed that Snipes wouldn’t talk or communicate directly with Goyer or any other cast members but instead filled Post. It notes signed Blade all around the set. Snipes would sometimes refuse to leave his trailer forcing Goyer to use digital effects and stand-ins instead. Consequently, the Blade franchise ended after Blade: Trinity.
That wasn’t why Snipes was unhappy. He consequently sued New Line Cinema and David S Goyer over their actions however he also faced legal action from United Talent Agency. Nevertheless, as time went on Snipes downplayed some of these claims, one of which suggested that he said he would strangle David S. Goyer.
The Blade Reboot challenges
The Blade reboot faced several struggles similar to the original trilogy. One of these was when Bassam Tariq, the director, left the project and Yann Demange replaced him only to also leave later on as well. The script has been through multiple screenwriters, with extensive rewrites taking place. The production was also delayed by the writers’ strike. It seems vampires are easy for Blade but Hollywood is another story.
Iconic opening scene of Blade and its legal troubles
The opening scene of Blade made a statement in its own right. Here we find that a man unknowingly enters a vampire-filled nightclub where he eventually gets saved by the blade. This sequence of blood-rained sprinklers is brutal but unforgettable and sets up the dark world where Blade resides.
However, this part also resulted in legal issues. New Line Cinema and the company responsible for fake blood were sued by three extras namely; Carol Yvonne Smith, Resa Michelle Hall, and Cleveland Williams who developed rashes after shooting since they were not allowed to wash off the stage blood for hours afterward. This situation shows how sometimes filming conditions may have a lasting impact on performers.
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Wesley Snipes’s comeback in Deadpool and Wolverine
Snipes’ portrayal of Blade was thought to have ended with Blade: Trinity, however, this was proven wrong by Deadpool & Wolverine. Snipes returned as Daywalker together with Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Channing Tatum’s Gambit among other big names in Hollywood. Such an unexpected entrance became one of those moments in superhero movies that please a lot of people.
He did not expect Marvel or Disney would be interested either, particularly given Mahershala Ali being cast in an upcoming reboot. But everything changed after Ryan Reynolds called him up one day. Snipes worked hard to get back into Blade Shape, even making peace with Reynolds admitting that his personality would be perfect for Deadpool.
Final Words
The Blade franchise journey has its ups and downs. Behind-the-scenes squabbles, legal battles, among others signposted the road to bringing Blade into the big screen as a bumpy one. Nevertheless, despite these obstacles, Blade has made an everlasting impact on superhero genre movies whereby it opened doors to future films thus cementing that even a vampire hunter can make box office slayings.
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