The live-action “Blade” franchise is probably dead in the water, sadly. Even before Wesley Snipes went to prison on counts of tax evasion, no one was clamoring for a fourth film, not after the way “Blade: Trinity” was such a mess (also, wow, that movie came out in 2004).
Fortunately, fans who can’t get enough of the vampire hunter will find some respite in the anime adaptation, officially announced yesterday by Marvel. “Blade” will be aired on G4, with the premiere episode coming on Friday, January 13th, followed by at least three more months of episodes.
Blade himself will be voiced by Harold Perrineau of “Lost” and “Matrix” fame, with the direction and writing headed by veterans of the anime industry. From Marvel’s official description, it’ll be a pretty clearly familiar story, but with a more global take than the Snipes films:
Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, imbuing her unborn son with vampire strength and a thirst for blood, but without the vulnerability to sunlight. A master of weaponry with a desire to avenge the death of his mother, Blade finds himself in Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia in an effort to take down the evil villain, Deacon Frost. With vampire hunter Makoto at his side, they will stop at nothing to destroy Existence, a vampire organization with roots deeply embedded in Asia.
You can look at the stills to see the look they’re giving Blade: one part Samuel L. Jackson, one part Mike Tyson. Sounds about right.