Blade Prequel in the Works, Norrington and Dorff Returning
Stephen Norrington, the original Blade helmer, has confirmed that he is working on a Blade prequel with Stephen Dorff (Blade, World Trade Center.)
“It will be a prequel to the ‘Blade’ movies, Deacon’s story,” Dorff previously said. “It’s a new trilogy the director has created. It will cool. We hope to shoot the first film next year. Frost is a character I have never been able to shake.”
Now in an interview with Comics2Film at Mania.com exclusively, Norrington confirmed the news but said that the project is not exactly how Dorff described it, but close. He added that the Dorff came up with the idea and it “has evolved into a very interesting story.”
Filming for the first film should get underway next year.
Wesley Snipes Jailed For Three Years
Wesley Snipes, the Hollywood action star (Blade, 7 Seconds, Demolition Man, The Marskaman…), has been sentenced to the maximum three-year sentence for not filing tax returns.Prosecutors had requested the sentence, one year for each of Snipes’s convictions, saying the star of Blade and Demolition Man had “engaged a campaign of criminal tax conduct, combining brazen defiance with insidious concealment”, telling the US District Court in Florida he failed to pay at least $2.7 million in taxes.
Snipes, 45, offered more than 25 letters from family members, friends and even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Oscar winner Denzel Washington, attesting to his good character.
They argued he should get only probation, because all three convictions were misdemeanours and the actor had no previous criminal record.
But Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a “history of contempt over a period of time” for US tax laws.
“In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors,” Judge Hodges said.
Snipes apologised while reading from a written statement for his “costly mistakes”, but never mentioned the word taxes.
“I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance,” Snipes said, adding that he was “well-intentioned, but miseducated”.
His wealth and celebrity attracted “wolves and jackals like flies are attracted to meat”.
Snipes was acquitted in February of five additional charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy. But his co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were found guilty and sentenced to 54 months and 10 years respectively. Continue Reading…
Affleck sharpens ‘Blade’ for big screen
Ben Affleck is reuniting with some of his “Gone Baby Gone” cohorts to bring another gritty crime novel to the big screen.
Miramax has acquired the rights to Marcus Sakey’s debut novel “The Blade Itself” which Affleck will produce with Sean Bailey. They performed the same duties on Miramax’s “Gone Baby Gone,” which Affleck also directed.
The adaptation will be written by Aaron Stockard, who co-wrote “Gone Baby Gone” with Affleck.
“Blade” revolves around two Chicago childhood friends who made their reputation committing petty crimes as kids before choosing different paths in life. When they are reunited years later, one is forced to decide how far he will go to protect the secrets of his past. Esquire magazine named the novel one of the five best of 2007.
Affleck is currently filming “State of Play” for Universal.
