One of them was a five-film franchise and the other a three-film franchise, both dealing with vampires and vampire slayers. Alas, the Underworld and Blade franchises never did get around to crossing over, despite being around at the same time and dealing with similar subject matter. If Kate Beckinsale had her way, however, that mashup crossover would’ve happened.
Beckinsale, who of course led the Underworld franchise as Selene, just revealed in a chat with Variety that she was hopeful at one time that Selene and Blade would meet up!
“I really wanted them to do an Underworld–Blade mashup. What a duo that would be,” Beckinsale told the outlet this week.
She continued, explaining the likely reason Marvel decided against the idea, “I would definitely do that, but I think they just wanted to reboot Blade as Blade so they didn’t go for it.”
Marvel is indeed developing a new take on Blade for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Mahershala Ali taking over the role. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) is in talks to direct the character’s return to the screen, with Stacy Osei-Kuffour (“Watchmen”) writing the script.
Alas, we’ll likely never see that Underworld-Blade crossover event, though it’s interesting to note that Sony (Underworld rights holders) and Marvel do have a working relationship. After all, Spider-Man is a character being shared by Sony and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
