In a slightly alternate universe, James Wan made aBlade rebootinstead ofAquaman. Wan is one of the most in-demand creative talents in Hollywood and his track record speaks for itself, as the man behind theSaw,InsidiousandThe Conjuringfranchises. He was always destined to tackle a big comic book movie at some point and, had things worked out a bit differently, it would have been Marvel and not DC.
James Wanhas been making the rounds promoting his latest,Aquaman, which has been getting very positive buzz ahead of its release and looks like it will be able to effectively help wash away the sour taste left behind in the mouths of many afterJustice Leaguefailed to meet expectations. During a recent interview on a podcast, James Wan explains that he actually spoke with Marvel about revampingBlade. Unfortunately, at the time, they weren’t into it. Here’s what Wan had to say about it.
“Years back, a couple of years back, I think it was right after Conjuring 1 that I went into a particular studio and told them ‘Hey, I’m a big fan of Blade. Would you guys beinterested in rebooting Blade?’ So that was one. Obviously, nothing came out of that! But that was my first intro into looking at potential comic book properties.”
James Wan is synonymous with horror and it’s hard to think of aMarvel characterbetter suited to his sensibilities than that ofBlade. The idea of him tackling a vampire movie of any sort is tantalizing, but this could have been incredible. Alongside the firstX-Men, theBlademovies are largely credited with kicking off the era of comic book movie adaptations we find ourselves in currently. But it also feels like a franchise destined for reinvention in the future. As for Wan’s take? Unfortunately, he didn’t have much to reveal on that front.
“It was just to kind of talk about it. I didn’t have a full presentation. I did have an idea, I can’t quite remember what it was. That’s how far back it was and I’ve done a lot since then so I can’t quite remember what I had thought of. But I did like it at the time.”
Wesley Snipes, the man who originally brought the character to life, and even Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, have expressed adesire to bring the vampire hunter backin some way, shape or form. Earlier this year, Snipes revealed that they actually have two differentBladeprojects being developed with Marvel. Whether or not they actually move forward is another question entirely, but we may see the character back sooner rather than later. It just won’t be James Wan at the helm, as he’s probably going to be busy developing Aquaman 2 and producing a whole host of horror movies on the side. Feel free to check out the full interview with Wan on the latest episode of theHappy Sad Confused.
