According to an exclusive article at The Hollywood Reporter, Rodney Barnes, the writer of The Boondocks, is teaming up with comic artist Jason Shawn Alexander to resurrect the vampire Blacula for today’s audience.
Barnes will pen three graphic novels with the exploitation horror icon as the main character. Staying true to the film’s spirit and those of the genre it was a part of, Barnes will use the graphic novel to explore social and cultural issues. The first novel will see the light of day in Spring 2022.
The original Blacula and its sequel starred William H. Marshall, who would later be the second King of Cartoons on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. In the first film, Marshall played Prince Mamuwalde, who seeks Dracula’s help to stop the slave trade.
Being the villain he is, Dracula refuses to help and instead turns Mamuwalde into a vampire and seals him away in a tomb for almost two centuries. Finally, the Prince emerges in the 1970s as Blacula, the Black avenger.
It’s no secret that this movie would not go over well with today’s sheltered audiences who would prefer something like Cuties or another explosion-filled comic book movie. However, Blacula pulled no punches for anyone or anything. If you breathed, you were fair game. Just the way it should be when it comes to art.
The film and Blaxploitation, in general, are in no way appropriate for those who are concerned about being politically correct or inoffensive. Keep that in mind if you want to get into this genre of film. Blacula’s first victims in the film are very flamboyant stereotypes, for example.
Have you seen Blacula? Let us know what you think about the film or the idea of resurrecting these “problematic” exploitation films from the grave. Let us know your respectful opinions in the comments section.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
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