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Preview by: Jack Foley
IT HAS long been considered one of the coolest vampire franchises
and all the signs point to Blade finishing on a high.
The third instalment of the trilogy, entitled Blade: Trinity,
has been written and directed by David Goyer (the man responsible
for penning the first two screenplays), and looks set to stake
a big claim at the Christmas box office when it opens in December.
The premise this time around finds Blade (Wesley Snipes) being
framed for murder and needing a new set of allies - the Nightstalkers
- to prove his innocence.
The only trouble is, the ensuing quest for justice leads Blade
and co to Blade's greatest nemesis - a resurrected Dracula, the
first of all the vampires.
Principal among the new breed is Jessica Biel's Abigail, daughter
of Kris Kristofferson's Whistler, who is a dab hand with the crossbow.
But joining them is the no-less cool Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds),
a former vampire, who is equally adept at twirling a gun.
The movie is rumoured to represent Blade's final bow, yet advance
word seems to suggest that the Nightstalkers are cool enough to
warrant their own spin-off - which is already in the works.
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Certainly, Goyer is excited about
what's on offer.
"In a way, it's the Blade movie I always wanted to write,"
he said, before referencing a really cool, French Connection-style
car chase to get things going.
Cast-wise, Biel has already proved herself a feisty horror babe,
thanks to her spirited turn in the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre remake, while Reynolds looks cool enough
to dispel any lingering doubts about his casting, given that he
previously appeared in the comedy, Van Wilder.
But Goyer is the man attracting the most buzz, given the quality
of his screenwriting on both previous Blade movies, and, of course,
his presence on Batman
Begins.
And he's clearly aware that Blade fans will accept nothing less
than a darn good send off.
In one internet interview, he states: "There's a bunch more
weapons, and things like that. But I figured this is the third
permutation of these films, and in the wake of all of this, there's
been Angel and Underworld and things like that.
"This movie takes into account the fact that over the last
decade these kinds of films and television shows have permeated
the public consciousness. Blade was one of the films that started
it, so I wanted to look back on all of it with that knowledge
in place."
With Blade due for a UK bow in mid-December, perhaps cinema-goers
can finally start to think about banishing the memory of Van
Helsing after all....
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