New Line Television will produce 11, one-hour episodes of the weekly action-adventure series which premieres on Spike TV starting Wednesday, July, 5, following the previously announced two-hour kick-off episode that premieres on June 28.
Based on the Marvel Super Hero of the same name, “Blade: The Series” stars Kirk “Sticky” Jones (“Over There”) as the title character who is half-man, half-vampire and employs his extraordinary powers in a crusade to save mankind from the demonic creatures who walk the night.
Spike TV’s two-hour series premiere opens with Blade (Jones) setting up shop in Detroit, investigating the vampire house of Chthon. Along the way he forms an uneasy alliance with Krista Starr (Jill Wagner), a former military veteran who becomes entrenched in the world of vampires while investigating the murder of her twin brother.
The series also features Neil Jackson (“Stargate SG-1”), Nelson Lee (“Traffic,” the TV mini-series) and Jessica Gower (“Blurred”).
Acclaimed screenwriter and executive producer David S. Goyer (“Blade” trilogy and “Batman Begins”) and popular comic book writer Geoff Johns who both worked on the “Blade” pilot, have also signed on for the series production.
Bill McGoldrick, Vice President, Original Programming and Lisa Ullmann, Director of Original Programming, are executives responsible for production at Spike TV. Avi Arad, Chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios and Ari Arad, Executive Vice President, Marvel Studios; David Goyer; David Simkins (insert credits); Jim Rosenthal and Jon Kroll of New Line Television will serve as executive producers.
New Line Television is a division of New Line Cinema (www.newline.com), the most successful independent film company in the world. The division develops, produces and distributes TV projects for the broadcast networks, cable and first-run syndication, as well as distributes New Line feature films across the television landscape. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, New Line Cinema has divisions devoted to home entertainment, music, theater, merchandising and international. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line's Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in history. New Line is a division of Time Warner, Inc.
With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world. More information about Marvel can be found at www.marvel.com.
Spike TV is available in more than 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 100 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services – MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 95 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.