Executives at Spike TV are still grinning hard after last week’s record-setting debut of Blade: The Series, starring former Onyx rapper Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones in the title role.
Wednesday’s two-hour premiere at 10 p.m. brought in 2.5 million total viewers, which makes it the highest-rated original series premiere in Spike TV history.
Co-written by the movie trilogy’s screenwriter David S. Goyer, the series picks up where the third film, Blade: Trinity, left off. The Marvel Entertainment superhero – half vampire, half human – is on the hunt for the "doctor" (a vampire) who feasted upon and killed his mother as he was being born.
In taking over the monosyllabic character perfected in all three films by Wesley Snipes, Jones says it was important that he put his own personal twist on the character.
"I feel that Blade has to be communicative. He has to be able to communicate with other characters," Sticky told us. "He’s kind of closed, but he’s half human as well, so he’s kind of open. And from ‘Blade 1,’ ‘2’ and ‘3,’ what Wesley did is he kind of graduated it, and I guess we’re picking up where that left off."
Meanwhile, Sticky says he started out training six hours a day to prepare for his juicy role each week, a regiment that included the gym, martial arts and sword work.
"The training is extensive, but it’s easy for me because I’m an athlete," he says. "I love it. The first time I got in a wire, I’m like four stories up. They’re like, ‘Are you okay?’ I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? I live this thing. Let’s do it again.’ It’s fun and it’s a challenge as well. But I’m strong, I’m tough and I’m ready for it.”"
When asked if he had any previous fighting experience, he replied: "Yeah, I grew up in Brooklyn."
Wednesday’s two-hour premiere at 10 p.m. brought in 2.5 million total viewers, which makes it the highest-rated original series premiere in Spike TV history.
Co-written by the movie trilogy’s screenwriter David S. Goyer, the series picks up where the third film, Blade: Trinity, left off. The Marvel Entertainment superhero – half vampire, half human – is on the hunt for the "doctor" (a vampire) who feasted upon and killed his mother as he was being born.
In taking over the monosyllabic character perfected in all three films by Wesley Snipes, Jones says it was important that he put his own personal twist on the character.
"I feel that Blade has to be communicative. He has to be able to communicate with other characters," Sticky told us. "He’s kind of closed, but he’s half human as well, so he’s kind of open. And from ‘Blade 1,’ ‘2’ and ‘3,’ what Wesley did is he kind of graduated it, and I guess we’re picking up where that left off."
Meanwhile, Sticky says he started out training six hours a day to prepare for his juicy role each week, a regiment that included the gym, martial arts and sword work.
"The training is extensive, but it’s easy for me because I’m an athlete," he says. "I love it. The first time I got in a wire, I’m like four stories up. They’re like, ‘Are you okay?’ I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? I live this thing. Let’s do it again.’ It’s fun and it’s a challenge as well. But I’m strong, I’m tough and I’m ready for it.”"
When asked if he had any previous fighting experience, he replied: "Yeah, I grew up in Brooklyn."
