The Blade film series is a trilogy of films based on the Marvel Comics that starred Wesley Snipes as the title character and beginning in 1998 and ending in 2004. They were written by David S. Goyer, Marv Wolfman, and Gene Colan, and directed by Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro, and David S. Goyer, respectively and distributed by New Line Cinema. The three films in the trilogy are:

• Blade (1998)
• Blade II (2002)
• Blade: Trinity (2004)

A short lived U.S. TV show was also produced:

• Blade: The Series (2006)

The character Blade was created in 1973 for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan and was a supporting character in the 1970s comic Tomb of Dracula. In the comic, Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire while she was in labor with Blade. Thus, Blade was born as a dhampir, a human with vampire genes.

Blade grows up to become a vampire hunter, swearing vengeance on the creatures that killed his mother. He teams up with a man called Whistler, a retired vampire hunter and weapons expert.

Meanwhile, in the urban underworld, a feud is started between 'pure-blood' vampires and those who had been human, but were 'turned.' Blade becomes aware of this and investigates further, uncovering a plot to raise the blood god La Magra, something he must stop at all costs.

A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. "Reapers" are vampires so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Now their quickly expanding population threatens the existence of vampires, and soon there won't be enough humans in the world to satisfy their bloodlust. Blade, Whistler and an armory expert named Scud are curiously summoned by the Shadow Council. The council reluctantly admits that they are in a dire situation and they require Blade's assistance. Blade then tenuously enters into an alliance with The Bloodpack, an elite team of vampires who were trained in all modes of combat to defeat Blade. They'll use their skills instead to help wipe out the Reaper threat. Blade's team and the Bloodpack are the only line of defense which can prevent the Reaper population from wiping out the vampire and human populations.

The vampires succeed in framing Blade for the killing of several humans (who were in fact familiars being used as bait). Blade, now in the public's eye and wanted by the FBI, has to join forces with the Nightstalkers, a human clan of vampire hunters. Blade, Hannibal King, and Abigail Whistler go after Danica Talos, who has succeeded in locating and resurrecting Drake, also known as Dracula, the first vampire and by far the most powerful. In order to stop him, Blade has to release a virus that will wipe out all vampires, but he has only one opportunity to do so.

In December 2007 it was reported that Wesley Snipes has launched a lawsuit against New Line, director David Goyer and the film's producers, because he was forced to give up screen time to Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel. Further, Snipes alleges he did not receive his agreed upon salary and was not afforded the decision-making power he was entitled to as a producer. Snipes holds hope that he'll reach an agreement in the lawsuit. Snipes is also optimistic that, once things are settled, there will be a Blade 4.^[1]

172 bodies die by Blade's hand in the entire trilogy, beating single movie winner John Preston (Body Count of 118).

• Blade
• Blade II
• Blade: Trinity
• Blade: The Series A short-lived show on Spike TV that was set some time after Blade: Trinity.

• Blade at IMDb
• Blade II at IMDb
• Blade: Trinity at IMDb
• Blade: The Series at IMDb
• Videos about Blade