Marvel’s dusting off Blade to hunt more vampires, but not the ones from Underworld

According to /Film, Kate Beckinsale was recently asked if there were plans to ever intersect the Underworld franchise with Blade. While that’s exactly the kind of left-field question you’re at risk for being asked when participating in the New York Comic Con panel for Underworld: Blood Wars, her answer was less expected. “No. We had that idea,” Beckinsale confirmed. “No. They’re busy. They’re doing something with Blade.” The actress did not elaborate on whether that means the previously rumored sequel with Wesley Snipes, or a small-screen adaptation.

Given the success of the Netflix-Marvel collaboration, it wouldn’t be surprising if Blade wound up back on television (hopefully in a better incarnation than this one). What is surprising is that Lakeshore Entertainment attempted to negotiate a crossover between the two properties. Sure, the premise could be made to work, and there have been pitches for far more outlandish crossover projects. But New Line failed to create a follow-up Blade project which means that the rights have long since been reacquired by the Marvel/Disney cinematic industrial complex. Marvel Studios is increasingly in the business of creating box office-annihilating blockbusters, and finding ways of bringing licensed-restricted characters back into the MCU fold. Renting Blade out for some type of Freddy Vs. Jason-style stunt film doesn’t seem like something a 2016 Marvel would ever agree to. Still, it could be rewarding to see Wesley Snipes raise an impish eyebrow from behind his sunglasses, snort in reaction to hearing the term “Lycans,” and then artfully decapitate throngs of vampires and/or werewolves.