Is there a fourth Blade movie in the works? Wesley Snipes told IGN at last year's San Diego Comic Con that he and Marvel are indeed developing another film in the cult vampire-action franchise, but don't ask Blade I-III writer (and Blade: Trinity director) David S. Goyer about it — he's not even in on the discussions.
“I'm not involved with it,” Goyer told me while out promoting his forthcoming supernatural horror film The Forest. “I don't know to what extent Marvel really has been working on that or not. I can tell you I was with [Blade 2 director] Guillermo del Toro today and we were talking about it, and he's heard nothing about it either. So if Marvel's working on it, they're not working on it with us, which is perfectly fine. I'm not sure that I would do a Blade film again.”
He's not kidding. According to various reports (including one extensive first-hand account from co-star Patton Oswalt), by the end of Blade: Trinity's shoot Snipes had cut off direct communication with Goyer and would only leave his trailer to do close-ups, leaving the rest of the performance to his stand-in. Oswalt even claimed that at one point Snipes attempted to strangle the director. So, needless to say…
“That was the most personally and professionally difficult and painful thing I've ever been through,” said Goyer. “Having said that, I have incredibly fond memories of working with Ryan [Reynolds] and Jessica [Biel] and a lot of people on the movie. Ryan and I remain really good friends today. It was a challenged shoot, as has been reported. What can I say?”
A long shot, but I figured I might as well ask: has Goyer spoken to Wesley Snipes since?
“No, no,” he responded grimly. “We've never spoken again.”
I suppose the question now is: which director out there is brave enough to direct Snipes in another Blade movie? We may find out, if Blade 4 ever comes to fruition.