Blade Star Says New Movie Will Be Garbage
Stephen Dorff said current comic book movies like Black Adam, and the upcoming Blade, are terrible
Stephen Dorff, an original star of Blade, has never been one to shy away when it comes to voicing his opinions. The 49-year-old actor has joined a growing list of respected filmmakers and actors who have aired their distaste for Marvel’s live-action movies. According to Variety, Dorff recently slammed the MCU’s upcoming version of Blade by lumping it in with other “garbage” superhero films.
During an interview with The Daily Beast, Stephen Dorff said today’s comic book movies are flat-out “embarrassing.” Although he acknowledged that most of them are making tons of money, he insisted “nobody’s going to remember them” because they “suck.” He went on to say he never got around to watching Black Adam since it looked like a terrible film.
Considering he starred opposite Wesley Snipes in 1998’s Blade, it should come as no surprise that Stephen Dorff also took shots at Marvel’s upcoming reboot. The Mahershala Ali-led picture was originally set to start filming in October 2022, but the project has faced several setbacks. After mocking the studio for losing the movie’s initial director Bassim Tariq two months into production, Stephen Dorff asserted the new Blade stands no chance in topping the original.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Stephen Dorff (again, he was in Blade already) has railed against Marvel. Back in 2021, he criticized Black Widow during an interview with The Independent. After telling the outlet that the Cate Shortland-directed feature resembled a terrible videogame, he said he was “embarrassed” for Scarlett Johansson.
Shortly after his comments about Black Widow and the film’s leading star went viral, Stephen Dorff told TMZ that he felt awful and ended up sending the actress a note. Still, when he was asked at the time whether he’d seen the Scarlett Johansson-led movie, he said he had not, adding he preferred darker superhero films like The Dark Knight and Blade.
Speaking of his 1998 comic book movie, Stephen Dorff starred in Blade, playing the villainous Deacon Frost, a megalomaniac bloodsucker who believes the vampire race should outright dominate the entire world. Of course, standing in his way is Blade, a half-human and half-vampire hybrid, whose sole mission is to rid the Earth of the blood-thirsty creatures of the night. The film is often credited for saving Marvel and paving the way for the MCU.
Directed by Stephen Norrington, the movie grossed $131 million globally. In addition to Stephen Dorff and Wesley Snipes, Blade stars Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, Arly Jover, Traci Lords, Eric Edwards, and Tim Guinee. The R-rated film spurred two sequels including 2002’s Blade II and 2004’s Blade: Trinity.
Although Stephen Dorff has amassed several dozen acting credits since appearing in Blade nearly 25 years ago, the Marvel feature is still one of his most successful films to date. But the seasoned actor has no desire to star in mainstream movies at this point in his career unless they’re good. With that said, it’s probably safe to say the actor won’t be making a return to the world of comic book movies anytime soon.
Fans of Stephen Dorff can catch him in this year’s sci-fi thriller Divinity, alongside Bella Thorne, Scott Bakula, Moises Arias, Caylee Cowan, and Emily Willis. Directed by Eddie Alcazar, the story centers on two mysterious brothers, who abduct a mogul during his quest for immortality. Meanwhile, a seductive woman helps them launch a journey of self-discovery.
