And here I thought the Blade franchise was dead in the water after Blade Trinity’s abysmal failure. Stephen Dorff, who played the villain Deacon Frost

And here I thought the Blade franchise was dead in the water after Blade Trinity’s abysmal failure. Stephen Dorff, who played the villain Deacon Frost in the first film, mentioned to the Sunday Mail last year that a prequel trilogy spearheaded by Blade director Stephen Norrington was in the works:

It will be a prequel to the Blade movies, Deacon’s story. It’s a new trilogy the director has created. It will be cool. We hope to shoot the first film next year. Frost is a character I have never been able to shake.

Without further confirmation from Norrington, we’ve pretty much treated the news as rumor, but today he admitted to Comics2Film that a prequel film is indeed in the works (as soon as he finishes his Crow reboot). Norrington mentions that the project isn’t exactly like Dorff described, but it’s close. He goes on to say that it “has evolved into a very interesting story,” and that “the linkage to Blade is still big in the equation.”

Norrington has had it tough since the first Blade in 1998. He went on to direct The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, an experience that turned him off of the movie making business for several years. His remake of The Crow will be his first project since 2003. Dorff has appeared in various roles since Blade, but nothing has been as successful with mainstream viewers.

While this project is in such early stages that it could probably fall apart at any moment, it’s an interesting prospect. Norrington managed to turn what could have been a throwaway comic adaptation into a memorable action film that also helped jump start the comic book film frenzy. I’m not the only fan that came away soured by Blade Trinity, and this sounds like a good chance to reboot the franchise. I don’t suspect we’ll see much of Wesley Snipes, though given Blade’s connection to Frost I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the character in child or teenage form.