Blade
(6/2006 - present)



Airs: (Spike TV)

DVD Releases:

Nothing announced yet.

Premise:

This series is based on the Blade film franchise (which is an adaptation of the Marvel comic book character), which focuses on the character of Blade, half human and human vampire, who is on a mission to destroy the hidden vampire society. David S. Goyer, writer of all three Blade films and director of Blade: Trinity, will serve as an executive producer of the pilot. Goyer is also writing the pilot with comic-book scribe Geoff Johns; the two previously worked together on the Justice Society of America comic for DC Comics. Peter O'Fallon (House) will direct. Wesley Snipes, who starred as Blade in the films, will not reprise the role in this upcoming TV film/pilot.

News:

(07/10/06) - According to the Neilson ratings, Blade’s two-hour premiere sucked in 2.5 million viewers on June 28, making it the most-watched original series premiere in the network's history and cable TV's top-rated show of the night for men 18-34 and 18-49.

TV Guide recently interviewed writer/director David Goyer, who discusses Blade, Nightstalkers, Flash, and Batman 2.

(06/16/06) - Spike TV has launched a new website for the upcoming Blade series. The site is loaded with complete cast info, photos, video clips and more.

(06/13/06) - Writer and consultant Geoff Johns told fans in at the annual Wizard World Philadelphia Convention that he co-wrote the pilot with David S. Goyer. "We have been working together, obviously, in comic books for about four years, so about a year ago David called me up said, 'Hey, we are thinking about doing Blade the TV series. Do you want to help me co-write the pilot?'" Johns said. "I said, 'Yeah,' because I love the movies and the character. So we sat down with Spike TV and started talking about ideas."

"The advantage of doing a TV series compared to a movie is that we get to delve into the history of the character, so there is a lot of year-one type stuff," he said "We see a lot of his origin and what he was before [he was] Blade. We see how he got his tattoos, and we see where he picked up his sword, everything as the series progresses. That's what interests me: Why and how did this guy become Blade?"

The first season will have 13 episodes, "and we have stories within that, but a lot of it is serialized, and a lot of the stand-alone episodes are built into the overall arc, like The Shield," Johns said. "Goyer always wanted the 13 to be one big movie with little stories in between, so there will be a conclusion at the end of the 13, with plot threads that will continue into season two. It's like a comic book. Overall, the series focuses on Blade coming back to his hometown of Detroit and trying to clean it up. There we meet all sorts of people from his past, and there are a few Marvel guys in there, too."

(05/16/06) - IGN has five behind-the-scenes featurettes about Blade.

(03/24/06) - The trailer for this upcoming television series has hit the web. You can find it at CBR and 15 screen grabs from the trailer at Kung Fu Rodeo.

(01/18/06) - Spike TV has recently started advertising Blade as a series not a movie, so it looks like the pilot/movie has been picked up to become a series. No other details yet.

(01/13/06) - David S. Goyer recently spoke to reporters about the upcoming Blade telefilm at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 12. "I realized that in order to do it for TV, we had to do something that TV could do better than the features," Goyer said. "And one of the things that the fans always seemed to be really interested in were all the inner workings and machinations of the vampire world. So we tried to come up with an idea that would allow us to explore that more."

Kirk "Sticky" Jones, who stars as Blade, said that his version of Blade will differ from Wesley Snipes' portrayal in the movies. "Clearly the point of going into the TV show is that we can explore more of his background, more of ... his history from the time when he was first in the streets, even before he met the Whistler character."

"I feel that Blade has to be communicative. He has to be able to communicate with other characters. You know, he's kind of closed, but he's half-human as well, so he's kind of open. And from Blade 1, 2 and 3, what Wesley did is he kind of graduated it, and I guess we're picking up where that left off."

Will Blade be picked to become a series? Spike executive Michael Hirschorn said that a decision "will be made in the next few weeks" based on the pilot.

(12/12/05) - According to the Hollywood Reporter, Nelson Lee (Traffic) has joined the case for Blade. Lee will play Shen.

(11/10/05) - According to Variety, Actor/rapper Kirk Jones, aka Sticky Fingaz, will star in the upcoming Blade TV series as Blade - the half-vampire, half-human warrior. Jones was last seen on television as a soldier in F/X's Over There. Other castmembers for the pilot include Jill Wagner, Neil Jackson, Jessica Gower and Nelson Lee.

(10/19/05) - Superhero Hype has posted the casting call for the upcoming pilot.

[BLADE] (AFRICAN-AMERICAN, MALE, LATE 20s TO LATE 30s) An incredible martial artist & warrior, armed w/a silver sword, this legendary vampire hunter ferociously seeks out his vampire prey & destroys them. A "half-breed" whose mother was attacked by vampires while pregnant w/him, Blade is himself halfhuman, half-vampire, and forced to drink a special serum on a daily basis to control his raging thrist. Blade has all the vampires' strengths and none of their weaknesses -- which is why he is so feared and hated by his nemeses. Anxious to stop vampire research into a top secret genome project, Blade enlists the help of a new ally -- one who battles the menace from w/in their own ranks...SERIES REGULAR

[CHRISTA STARR] (CAUCASIAN, FEMALE MID 20s) She's a doctor & former military medic who has recently been discharged from active service. Drained by her combat traumas, Christa is trying to re-enter normal civilian life when she gets word that her fraternal twin brother, Zack, has been killed under mysterious circumstances. Unable to get any satisfaction from the police, Christa decides to investigate Zack's death herself. Its a decision that catapults her into a strange new world of vampires & familiars that she didn't even know existed. A courageous, tenacious and fierce adversary, Christa is captured & "turned" by powerful vampire Marcus, who enlists her in his vampire ranks...SERIES REGULAR

[MARCUS VAN SCIVER] (CAUCASIAN, MALE, 25 TO 40) He's a charismatic, dapper, sexy, aristocratic vampire with pale skin, piercing eyes and an unslaked hunger for power -- and blood. First turned into a vampire back in the days of the American colonies, Marcus looks down on humans as little more than cattle -- but we sense that he may have a hidden longing for his lost human existence. A wealthy developer and a pillar of the community, Marcus hangs with the city's elite, but his real power stems from his ties to the age-old House of Chthon, venerable vampire rulers. Impressed by Christa's bravery and tenacity, Marcus "turns" her and recruits her for his vampire "family"...SERIES REGULAR PLEASE SUBMIT NAME ACTORS ONLY

[SHEN] (ASIAN, MALE, MID TO LATE 20s) Blade's loyal ally, he's a thin but muscular Asian with a shaved head and an imperturbable manner. A former religious man, Shen now devotes his energies to the good fight against the vampire hordes. He helps perfect new technologies for Blade to use in his battles, and his mere presence helps the driven Blade achieve at least a measure of inner peace...SERIES REGULAR

[CHASE] (FEMALE, EARLY TO MID 20s, ANY ETHNICITY) Marcus's most loyal and efficient follower, she's a gorgeous vampire who appears to be in her early 20s, although her hungry eyes tell a different story. She helps Marcus kills Zack, Christa's fraternal twin. Later, after Christa is herself turned into a vampire, Chase takes her on a tour of the vampires' world & gives her a sweeping overview of the vampires' tumultuous history...SERIES REGULAR

STORY LINE: Tenacious vampire slayer BLADE forms an odd alliance with CHRISTA STARR, a woman who wants revenge upon the vampires' House of Chthon, and the powerful MARCUS, for slaying her fraternal twin brother. But while Blade battles the vampires from the outside, Christa battles them from within -- after being changed into a vampire herself...

(10/17/05) - Ain't It Cool News posted a script review of the pilot. The pilot is written by David Goyer & Geoff Johns. The pilot appears to pick up where Blade Trinity left off. Abigail Whistler and Hannibal King will not be in the series. A new character will be introduced - Krista. Krista, recently dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army, is investigating the death of her twin brother.

David S. Goyer confirmed that he's producing an hour-long television series based on the Blade movies for Spike TV, to begin airing next June. "We're doing a Blade TV show," Goyer said at CBS' fall press preview in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting his upcoming SF series Threshold. "I'm co-writing the pilot with [comic writer] Geoff Johns, and it's going to be Spike's first dramatic show, and it's going to air next June."

Goyer also said that the network has ordered 13 episodes of the new series. "It'll be Blade, but it's different than the movies, that's all I can say," Goyer said, adding that a new actor will be hired to portray Blade, who was played by Wesley Snipes in the movies.

Cast:

Kirk Jones as Blade
Jill Wagner as Krista
Nelson Lee as Shen
Neil Jackson as Marcus Van Sciver
Jessica Gower as TBA


Episode List

Episode #Prod #Original
Air Date		 Episode Title
 
 
Season One
1. 1-1 28-Jun-2006 Pilot
2. 1-2 05-Jul-2006 Death Goes On
3. 1-3 12-Jul-2006 Descent
4. 1-4 19-Jul-2006 Bloodlines
5. 1-5 26-Jul-2006 The Evil Within
6. 1-6 02-Aug-2006 Delivery
7. 1-7 09-Aug-2006 Sacrifice
8. 1-8 16-Aug-2006 Turn Of The Screw
9. 1-9 23-Aug-2006 Angels & Demons
10. 1-10 30-Aug-2006 Hunters
11. 1-11 06-Sep-2006 Monsters
12. 1-12 13-Sep-2006 Conclave





Home | Forums | Opinions | Contact
Episode Guide | Upcoming Shows | DVD Release Dates
Movie Guide | Upcoming Movies | Movie Release Dates | DVD Release Dates
RPG Guide


Copyrights and trademarks for the film and related entertainment properties mentioned herein are held by the respective owners of said properties.

Site design and all text Copyright © 2003-2006 Scifi 411