DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Blade has always been my favorite comic book character. He was super cool, fly as hell, intelligent and fearless. My love for Blade came from the Wesley Snipes interpretation - which became the visual look for Blade's overall character in comics.
While I find the Wesley movies amazing and influential, Blade has never had a crucial place in comic books. In my opinion, he is underutilized. Most of his solo comic runs were canceled midway through or they were short. Reading Blade, I found all of these amazing seeds of story and world-building. I found visual motifs and art that were unique. I was very surprised that Blade did not have a popular comic line nor did he have a major following in Marvel Comics currently.
I decided that i want to be apart of a creating a piece in the character's legacy and showcase this crazy but awesome world of vampires.
DAYWALKER deals with self-identity and finding peace with your imperfections. When creating this, I wanted Blade to not just be challenged by a physical threat but one that was extremely mental and personal to him. Blade's biggest weakness is his thirst for blood, which he suppresses. I took that one weakness and asked myself what does that mean for him? How does Blade feel about that? How does he feel about himself?
The conclusion that I came to is that he doesn't have a peace with who he is and further, he despises his nature. Most vampires are born from trauma and Blade is no different. I want to push on that narrative and challenge Blade to look into himself and create the avenue of what he does to weaken his vampiric nature when he has to save someone who has suffered the same traumas as him. King, who's like a kid compared to Blade, a kid who has been used and controlled by vampires all his life. Being that both Blade and King are dhampirs a.k.a "Daywalkers," I want Blade's idea of himself to be challenged when he has to deal with the emotions of saving someone who has the same story as him. How does he answer his trauma and his pain so he can gain the strength to save someone else?
DIRECTOR & WRITER MILES NAASIR REUBEN
PRODUCTION TEAM
Created by Miles N. Reuben & Gary Jay,
filmTOY Studios is a full service, independent motion-picture film studio centered on creating, showcasing and creating cinema by underrepresented beings for underrepresented beings.
We strive ourselves off the authenticity and creativity of all with an intense focus on developing the stories of those who have no voice or resources. We seek to create not just moments of inclusion but a permanent position in the film medium unapologetically.
Filmmakers create worlds around small stories in their brains - like children do with their toys and action figures. The full art of cinema is a filmmakers “toy,” the ultimate way in which we can create and reach audiences with stories that live within us.