Movies
Wesley Snipes Talks Cancelled ‘Black Panther’ Movie Paving the Way for ‘Blade’
On February 16th, Marvel’s first African superhero makes his solo debut on the big screen in Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the titular hero. The character of course first appeared on the big screen in Captain America: Civil War, but did you know he *almost* got his own movie in the ’90s?
In a fascinating piece over on THR today, Wesley Snipes recalled the never-told specifics on the aborted project, which at one point had John Singleton attached as director. Snipes was to star as T’Challa in that original iteration of Marvel’s Black Panther, fresh off his roles in New Jack City, White Men Can’t Jump and Demolition Man.
“I think Black Panther spoke to me because he was noble, and he was the antithesis of the stereotypes presented and portrayed about Africans, African history and the great kingdoms of Africa,” Snipes told the site. “It had cultural significance, social significance. It was something that the black community and the white community hadn’t seen before.”
Of course, Marvel ended up pulling the plug on Black Panther back then, but the failure of the project directly paved the way for Snipes to nab the lead role in another Marvel Comics adaptation: 1998’s Blade, which is credited for kick-starting Marvel’s big screen success and itself paving the way for a new crop of comic book adaptations.
“It was a natural progression and a readjustment,” Snipes recalled to THR, speaking about the death of Black Panther and birth of Blade. “They both had nobility. They both were fighters. So I thought, hey, we can’t do the King of Wakanda and the Vibranium and the hidden kingdom in Africa, let’s do a black vampire.”
“Remember, during that time, Marvel was going through a liquidation and there were concerns that the whole company might fold,” Snipes went on to note. “And it is my understanding that [Blade] was a catalyst to its resurgence and the empire we see now.”
So will we ever see Snipes back as Blade? If he has his way!
“I am very much open to all of the possibilities,” Snipes says. “If Blade 4 comes along, that is a conversation we can have. And there are other characters in the Marvel universe that, if they want to invite me to play around with, I am with that too. I think the fans have a hunger for me to revision the Blade character, so that could limit where they could place me as another character in that universe.”
Movies
‘The Exorcism’ Trailer – Russell Crowe Gets Possessed in Meta Horror Movie from Producer Kevin Williamson
Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist) is starring in a brand new meta possession horror movie titled The Exorcism, and Vertical has unleashed the official trailer this afternoon.
Vertical has picked up the North American rights to The Exorcism, which they’ll be bringing to theaters on June 7. Shudder is also on board to bring the film home later this year.
Joshua John Miller, who wrote 2015’s The Final Girls and also starred in films including Near Dark and And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird, directed The Exorcism.
Joshua John Miller also wrote the script with M.A. Fortin (The Final Girls). This one is personal for Miller, as his late father was the star of the best possession movie ever made.
Miller said in a statement this week, “The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist. If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how “cursed” the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries— the list went on and on. The lore of any “cursed film” has captivated me ever since.”
“With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (“Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!”) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another,” he adds. “We were gifted with an extraordinary cast and creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons. The devil may retaliate, but what other choice do we have?”
The film had previously been announced under the title The Georgetown Project.
“The Exorcism follows Anthony Miller (Crowe), a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.”
Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) also star.
Of particular note, Kevin Williamson (Scream, Sick) produced The Exorcism.
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