The impact Blade had on the superhero genre can’t be overstated, with the Daywalker’s first solo outing in 1998 arriving hot on the heels of Joel Schumacher’s infamous Batman & Robin, which many were predicting had ruined the viability of big budget comic book adaptations in the eyes of studios all across Hollywood.
Thanks to some stylish direction, a thumping soundtrack, fast-paced action sequences and an ass-kickingly charismatic performance from Wesley Snipes, the Daywalker sliced and diced his way into the hearts of fans everywhere. Guillermo del Toro’s sequel was a solid expansion of the mythology, but it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Blade: Trinity sucked harder than a vampire attached to a human jugular.
Having written the first two installments, David S. Goyer was promoted to the director’s chair, but rumors abounded that he didn’t exactly get along with the notoriously temperamental Snipes, with co-star Patton Oswalt even claiming the action star had choked out the director at one stage when things got a little too heated.
In a new interview, Goyer didn’t exactly confirm the story when asked about it directly, but you can certainly read between the lines when he alludes to the difficulties faced during production on the dismal third chapter.
“Let’s just say I have tremendous respect for Wesley as an actor. He used to be a friend. We’re not friends anymore. I am friends with Patton, and I worked with Patton since, so I don’t think anyone involved in that film had a good experience on that film. Certainly, I didn’t. I don’t think anybody involved with that film is happy with the results. It was a very tortured production.”
Of course, Snipes has offered an entirely different version of events, and puts a lot of the troubles and disagreements on Blade: Trinity down to his status as an executive producer as well as leading man, which saw him wield some level of creative control. The actor and Goyer clearly haven’t made up in the seventeen years since the movie was released, but at least we’re getting a reboot from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to give the property a fresh start.