Comics
Wesley Snipes Teasing Return to ‘Blade’ Role for Marvel
After Blade: Trinity‘s release back in 2004, it felt as if the Blade franchise was over for good. In 2008, franchise star Wesley Snipes went to prison (for three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns) and that would lead most of us to assume that would be the final nail in the coffin. Only, Marvel has since become a force to reckon with and Blade is one of the more popular characters in the massive universe. The idea of Blade returning to the big (or small) screen now feels within the realm of possibility. As for Snipes biting into the role once again, well, the odds are stacked against him. Still, he’s keeping optimistic and allegedly has been working in secret with Marvel for the past few years on something Blade related.
“There are a lot of conversations going around right now and we’re very blessed to have the enthusiasm and interest in something coming from that world again,” Snipes told Vice when asked about another Blade. “We’ve created two projects that fit perfectly into this world and, when people see them, I think they’re only going to have a problem with deciding which one they love the most.
“All the main execs [at Marvel] and my team, we’ve been discussing for the past two years,” he continues. “Everyone’s enthusiastic about it, everybody gets it. But they got a business to run and they gotta square the things that they gotta figure out before they can get to it, I guess. In the meantime, we got a business to run and our own slate of things to do so…
“But the next time you see something in [the Blade universe], mark my words: what we did before is child’s play compared to what we can do now.”
ALSO READ: 20 Years Ago, ‘Blade’ Was Ahead of Its Time as Marvel’s First Big Screen Success Story
Snipes is purposely vague here, but if you want to read into what he’s saying it sounds as if the character of Blade could return in a different project. Without knowing if New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. still own the rights, what if Marvel found a way to work Blade into Sony’s new universe, which begins with Venom and continues with Morbius, starring Jared Leto? Staying within Marvel’s own universe – Blade was often seen next to… Doctor Strange in the “Avengers of the Supernatural”. He’s also been in several crossovers including Civil War, which makes his integration simple. The question is, where do the rights dwell, and can Marvel find a way to work the character into new properties? This is getting interesting and Blade’s return is starting to see the light of day (ha).
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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