With the upcoming release of Spider-Man: Homecoming on the horizon, Marvel President Kevin Feige has been making the rounds and talking about everything from Spidey's role in Marvel movies to random potential future projects. When asked about the potential to bring Blade back to the big screen, Feige was fairly open about the possibilities for Blade, saying:
I think Blade is a legacy character now, and I think it would be fun to do something with him one day.
If you've been keeping tabs on Blade over the years, you may already know that the last Blade project to hit the big screen was Blade: Trinity, which was made back in 2004--before Wesley Snipes went to jail for income tax related convictions. Since then, the property has been in limbo, although Snipes has been very open over the past couple of years that he would want in on a Blade reboot. As for where that fits into the MCU, in 2013 we reported that Marvel had nabbed the rights to characters like Blade, and also The Punisher and Ghost Rider (who have subsequently shown up in Marvel's Netflix shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., respectively). Since then, there have been a lot of questions about where Blade fits in, and when.
Kevin Feige also said that it was the Blade franchise that really had an influence over the MCU taking chances on characters during recent years. He told JoBlo that Blade was really one of the franchises--along with X-Men--that kicked off what was possible for some of the more outside-the-box Marvel characters.
That was always a great lesson for me, where you go, 'It doesn't matter how well known the character is, it matters how cool the movie is.' Which, many years later, would be the reason we do Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange.
So, it looks as if Blade will be off the table for now, but eventually perhaps we will see a Blade project moving forward. We do know that Kevin Feige is reluctant to release information on the next phase of movies Marvel will be putting out. He has said that Marvel isn't currently working on an r-rated franchise, which was very much what Blade was during its last iteration. Regardless, opinions and attitudes change over time, and like the true businessman he is, Kevin Feige isn't willing to rule things out entirely. Maybe one day we'll see Blade back on the big screen, and if it does happen, we'll be sure to keep you updated every step of the way.
For now, you can see what Marvel still has slated to premiere during Phase 3 with our full guide.
