Blade Reboot In The Works?

I was curious lately of the real possibility of seeing another Blade film and I stumbled onto some older quotes from screenwriter David S. Goyer that I was unaware of. The quotes are from ShockTillYouDrop & MTV. Goyer understands New Line has been working on rebooting the Blade franchise without Wesley Snipes.

“I heard rumors that they may want to start from scratch with a new person playing Blade." "I think when you re-visit these characters, the question is, how long should they stay off the shelf?....When we did 'Batman Begins,' he'd been off the shelf for about eight years. It hasn't been eight years yet for Blade. I think usually if you give them a little breathing room between iterations, it's better."


Marvel Entertainment's Kevin Feige says he'd like to return to Blade one day. I could see either the rights reverting back to Marvel Studios or Marvel Knights stepping in to develop the reboot. That's of course if New Line doesn't just sit on the property. I could see actors like Jamie Foxx or Idris Elba taking over the role of Blade.

Films That Should Be Made: Hannibal King

I've been very vocal for my love of the Blade franchise. Now with vampire and comic book films being so popular I think a Hannibal King spin-off could happen. While I don't see the film being a continuation of Blade Trinity it would be interesting to see an origin story. I could see it being more of a reboot similar to what 20th Century Fox is doing with the character Deadpool. This way they can re-introduce villains such as Deacon Frost and Dracula.


Speaking of Blade Trinity I felt the film was only barable because of Ryan Reynold's performance. I don't think it would be necessary to recast the role. Reynolds is already playing Green Lantern/Deadpool, so why not capitalize on his star power and love for comic book roles?





Hannibal King was an ordinary Private investigator until a vampire named Deacon Frost killed him and turned him into a vampire. He was a member of the Nightstalkers along with Blade and Frank Drake. I'm sure an origin story could work best and having a vampire detective/slayer hero might open up options of interesting villains.

POSSIBLE VILLAINS


Deacon Frost: There had been talk of director Stephen Norrington working on Decon Frost origin film. That story could be incorporated into the Hannibal King film.


Morbius: I believe New Line Cinema still owns the rights to Morbius and he'd make a great villain. Mixing science-fiction, action and vampire genres yet again. He showed up in a deleted scene at the end of Blade. Originally Norrington was planning on using Morbius as the villain in the second film before he left the franchise.


Lilith & Dracula: One of the best elements of Blade 2 was the use of vampire royality and who could be the best representation of that concept? Dracula and his daughter Lilith.

REVIEW: The Road

I finally got around to watching John Hillcoat's The Road. I had been frustrated with the treatment the film had been getting from the Weinstein Company. I had heard mix thoughts on the film but I really enjoyed it. The short running time of movie had a lot to do with it, if it had been two plus hours it might have become too much. They showed us everything we needed in the hour or so. Viggo Mortensen gave yet another amazing performance and I'd expect award nominations for it. I haven't read the book so I didn't have much to compare it to. I thought the dark and graphic nature fit perfectly with the film's themes. This would have made my top 10 of 2009 and I hope it gets new life on DVD/Blu Ray.

A+

3D & Muse Not Apart of Clash of The Titans

It had been rumored that the band Muse would be involved and the film would be in 3D. Now director Louis Leterrier is clearing things up with MTV. It wsn't the band Muse it was Matt Bellamy of the band who would have contributed 30 mintues of music. Now he's looking to Massive Attack band member Neil Davidge to help with the music.

"Craig Armstrong (Incredible Hulk) is still doing the score and I called my friend Neil Davidge from Massive Attack to replace Matt for the areas that Matt was doing. So it'll be Craig Armstrong and Massive Attack, which is pretty exciting."

"We tried [to do 3-D for 'Clash'].' We tried hard. We just won't have time.....Maybe we possibly can re-release it in 3-D."


I've been a fan of the British trip-hop group since the 90's so I might be bias about their involvement. Yet I do think they could set the dark mood needed for the film. Their song "Angel" was previously used in Guy Ritchie's Snatch.

Louis Leterrier Still Dying To Make Avengers

Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier has been talking for months now about taking a shot at making the Avengers. Leterrier talked to MTV recently and gave yet another humble plea to direct the massive film. He's starting to make a lot of sense and I believe he is the best option at the moment.

"I hope they don't find a director before I'm available, because I'd love to take a crack at 'Avengers'....It's just an amazing universe, and to have everybody involved..."

"Jon Favreau would've been the best director to do this thing, but now that he's a producer, I'd love to be able to work with him and continue what I started with 'Hulk' and what he started with 'Iron Man' and we do it together and continue that universe,"

"It's like an option....I was optioned for two movies with Marvel. So every time I do a movie, like 'Clash of the Titans' for example, I say, 'Guys, I'm about to do 'Clash' — so can I do it?' And they say, 'Yeah, we have nothing for you, so go ahead.'"

NEWS/RUMORS (Jan 9th)

The release date of Star Trek 2 is June 29th 2012.


Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) has been cast in Green Lantern as Hal Jordon's love-interest Carol Ferris. Ferris would later become a hero herself Star Sapphire.


Comic creator Rob Liefeld (Deadpool) recently gave some updates on Youngblood. He says the film is moving forward with Brett Ratner still directing and they're hopefully shooting it in 3D. Liefeld also teased he knew who the villains are going to be in Deadpool and spoke highly of the Zombieland writers.


James Cameron revealed to MTV that Jake Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon could have played Jake Sully. In other Avatar news Cameron has confirmed he is going forward with Avatar 2. It makes sense since within month of release the film is now the second biggest movie reaching $1.162 Billion worldwide.


War Machine co-creator Bob Layton talked to MTV about the character's role in the franchise and possible aspects of the third film.

"I think there are a variety of reasons to have the War Machine character in [Iron Man 2]. If they’re doing the ‘Avengers’ film, they always have the option of using War Machine instead of Iron Man depending upon what happens contractually. I’m just speculating, I have no idea… But there’s always the possibility that if it does well, it can spin off. Because obviously there’s a different character and a different motivation with War Machine than there is with Tony Stark.”

“I think they’ve come up with a terrific segue to the third film, which I think is going to be fairly powerful,” said Layton. “My understanding is that the third film could very well be the ‘Demon in a Bottle’ story mixed in there with everything and I’m kind of looking forward to that, if that’s where they wind up going.”


Andy Serkis (Tintin, Hobbit) best known for his work on the Lord of The Rings trilogy says he'd love to play The Riddler in the next Batman film. Serkis has previously worked with director Christopher Nolan on The Prestige. Nolan is well-known for casting actors he's worked with before for different projects.


ComicBookMovie has been putting effort in promoting both Sam Worthington and Chuck star Ryan McPartlin for the role of Captain America. Now Ryan is hoping to tryout for the role. He previously tried out for the role of Clark Kent in Superman Returns but lost out to Brandon Routh. I think it would be interesting to see Ryan as Rogers and Zachary Levi as Bucky Barnes.


Warner Bros. has optioned the American remake of Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance.

Could Daybreakers Help Resurrect The Blade Franchise?

I couldn't help but notice that Daybreakers is unmistakeably influenced by Stephen Norrington's original Blade. Even the title is similar to Blade's nickname Daywalker. So now that vampires are popular again could we see the return of Blade to theathers? Well the answer is yes and no.


It depends solely on New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. who own the rights to the Marvel property. I believe it's the only Marvel character WB owns so you'd think they would be milking it for all it's worth. What could make Warner Bros. move forward with Blade 4? To put it simply the success of mature vampire films like Daybreakers. I expect the film will do very well and end up making some decent box office numbers. Why is this important? It would show that there still is a market for Blade. In my opinion Blade was the first successful Marvel film and the character should be given another chance. I'm almost positive the DVD sales have more than increased over the years, so there are still fans out there. If Resident Evil can end up with a fourth and fifth installment why not Blade?


I think there are a few things that would need to happen before we see more Blade. First Guillermo del Toro would need to come on as the film's producer and second they'd need a new David S. Goyer script. Wesley Snipes would need to return and it would be nice if Ryan Reynolds came back as Hannibal King. With Reynolds attached I have no doubt the studio would be interested.

NEWS/RUMORS (Jan 8th)

Heat Vision is reporting Oscar nominated actress Adriana Barraza (Babel, Drag Me To Hell) has joined the cast of Thor. While they don't know the name of the character she'll play she will however be human. This is just a guess but I could see her playing Maria Hill, who ends up the head of SHIELD.


Willem Dafoe recently said during an interview he'd love to reprise the role of Norman Osborne/Green Goblin. I'm sure if they find a way to bring back the character they'd give him a call.


Steven Soderbergh's Knockout has gained more impressive actors to it's cast. They include Ewan McGregor, Micheal Douglas and Dennis Quaid.


Let Me In the American remake of Let The Right One In will be released on October 1st 2010.


We've been hearing about the unwanted Ghost Rider sequel for months. Now producer Mike De Luca revealed to Collider the title for the film is Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance. While a majority of Ghost Rider and comic book fans hated the film they're going forward with another one. Even odder is that Nicolas Cage is still starring in the movie. Mark Steven Johnson will not direct the film and Eva Mendes won't be returning. It's expected they'll be using the previous script written by David S. Goyer and Goyer himself might direct the film. It will be more of reboot than a sequel set in Europe and it could be shooting within the year.

Possible Storylines For Iron Man 3

It's going to be awhile before we get to see Iron Man 3 hit screens. Of course there has been talk of the third film being in development since the second one was announced. Here is a rundown of possible story elements that could make the third installment. That's of course if these points aren't used in Iron Man 2. Marvel Studios could be announcing another film to release in 2012 just before Avengers there is a possibility it could be Iron Man 3.


Demon In A Bottle: It's been rumored for a while now and it could be part of the third film. I could see certain things driving Tony to drink perhaps Happy Hogan marring Pepper, discovering family secrets or just dealing with being a superhero in the public spotlight. I believe alcoholism could be Tony's greatest enemy in the series if they do it properly and take it seriously.


The Mandarin: The Mandarin has been teased since first film and it's relly uncertain if we will see him in the second film. There has been talk of Raza becoming the Mandarin in future films.


Ultimo: He is a giant robot that is often controlled by the Mandarin and is one of the reasons The Iron Legion is formed. I would expect if Ultimo is used he wouldn't be as humanoid looking as he is in the comics. It could be cool to see an army of giant robots destroying major cities around the world.


Bethany Cabe: Cinematical/Empire/IMDB sites that Kate Mara has been cast as Bethany but it's really unknown what her role is in Iron Man 2. In the comics she ends up being recruited by Rhodey (War Machine) into the Iron Legion. She also becomes a love-interest of Tony's.


Olivia Munns: It's really unknown who Olivia Munns will play in Iron Man 2. I've heard that she could be playing the voice of War Machine's on-board computer, similar to Garvis. She could also be playing Whitney Frost (Madame Masque) or Melina Vostokoff (Iron Maiden). Whoever she plays I expect that role will become larger in the third film.


Iron Legion: In the comics War Machine is forced to take over for Tony and forms the Iron Legion to fight Ultimo. The group consists of Jim Rhodes, Bethany Cabe, Happy Hogan, Eddie March, Michael O'Brien and Clayton Wilson. I wouldn't be suprised if Pepper Potts is added to the Legion lineup.


Pepper Becomes Iron Maiden: There is point in the recent comics where Pepper starts using the Iron Maiden armor. If they do end up featuring the Iron Legion in the film Pepper could be one of the members.

Zombieland Writers Hired For G.I. Joe 2?

IESB is reporting that Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick will write the G.I. Joe: Rise of The Cobra sequel. The pair recently finished a script for the Venom spin-off and were just hired by 20th Century Fox to write Deadpool. This might put a hold onto the script development for Zombieland 2, although they've said they had enough material written for a television series.

Will Smith Good For Captain America?

I was just reading an article over at Collider and they were wondering if the previous rumor of Will Smith being cast as Steve Rogers/Captain America is all that bad of an idea. Thinking it over it does make sense since Smith fits the all-American persona well. Plus it wouldn't hurt to hire someone with such an international presence. I've listed some of the pros and cons of hiring such high profile actor.


The positives include Smith's previous successes with within his action roles. Along with his dramatic performances gaining Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happiness. He's almost an enigma going from rapper to TV actor to accomplished film actor. I think he'd bring in international audiences that might be turned off by a ultra pro-American character. The anti-American sentiment is still out there but isn't as rampant these days. Having a big named actor attached could help support the relative unfamiliar character.

Some of the negatives include his asking price which might be too much for the budding Marvel Studios to payout and could compete with the film's production budget. Another problem that comes with successful action films is the ever following sequels. Those could include Men In Black 3, Bad Boys 3, I Am Legend 2 , I Robot 2 and Hancock 2. I'm not sure they'll be able to talk Smith into filming Avengers along with Captain America.


If they're unable to rangle Smith for Steve Rogers I could see them casting him for the roles of a young Sgt. Fury or Isiah Bradley.

NEWS/RUMORS (Jan 7th)

Thor starts production Friday, John Carter of Mars next week and Green Lantern in 10 weeks.


Michael Fassnbender (Inglourious Basterds, Fish Tank, 300) has joined Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller Knockout which also stars MMA fighter Gina Carano. Production on the film starts this February with a probable late 2010 or early 2011 release date.


District 9 director Neill Blomkamp was asked about his thoughts on a sequel and he believes a prequel could make for a better film.

“If you go forward [with his story beyond District 9] it's more of a traditional film but if you go backward I'd be intrigued in that. I'm not so interested in aliens coming back and blowing things up but [a prequel] might be interesting.”


Frosty over at Collider is reporting that G.I. Joe 2 is happening and Paramount has hired a writer. He doesn't however know if director Stephen Sommers will return or will be replaced. Producer Rob Moore previously stated the title could be G.I. Joe: Cobra's Revenge. While I didn't love the film it was fun similar to The Mummy, so I'd be up for more films.


It's rumored that British band Muse was approached to score Clash of The Titans. The band's music has been previously used in trailers for 28 Weeks Later and Watchmen.

UPDATE: Hanna (2010-2011)

The film focuses on a 14 year old girl who works as an assassin. Director Danny Boyle was once attached but Joe Wright was later hired when Boyle left the film. I'm very interested to see what Wright can pull off within the action genre. Previously Wright has directed dramas such as Pride & Prejudice and Atonement.


Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Atonement) will play the Eastern-European teen assassin.


The film is being compared to a mix of La Femme Nikita and the Bourne films.


The Professional, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and anime Kite had teen assassin characters. Upcoming release Kick-Ass also includes a young girl killing-machine named Hit-Girl. I'm assuming if both films are popular with audiences we could see it become a regular trend in action films.