BLADE: TRINITY FEATURES POISON CANYON (December 8,2004)

(Ridgecrest)---Another area location shown brightly, if briefly, during the opening sequence of New Line Cinema's BLADE: TRINITY, which spotlighted Poison Canyon, located just 10 miles east of Ridgecrest . The scene shows several mysterious paramilitary looking troopers helicoptering in to an ancient Iraqi temple thought to house the father of all vampires.  Production occurred last January as the rugged boxed canyon doubled for the Syrian Desert.  Wesley Snipes (Murder at 1600, The Fan and Demolition Man,) who was not to be seen in the 100 degree Mojave Desert, again stars as the title character Blade, in this third entrée of the successful feature film franchise.  The majority of the film was shot in Vancouver but according to local film commissioner Ray Arthur there was one scene that Canada could not reproduce, "Blade and company search for the ancestor of all modern vampires, taking them to the remote part of the Iraqi desert.  Fortunately for us, Poison Canyon was a perfect match."

            The search for the perfect location began about a year ago when Arthur and the Ridgecrest Regional Film Commission (RRFC) met with Location Manager Tim Healey.  Healey was first interested in the Trona Pinnacles or possibly a dry lakebed but after reviewing other potential locations at the RRFC library, Poison Canyon quickly became the first choice.  According to Arthur several weeks passed while Healey scoured the rest of the southern California desert looking, unsuccessfully, for something better than Poison Canyon.  Healey was very impressed with the pristine look of the canyon and worked closely with local BLM officials to protect the quality of the site.  Arthur noted that due in part to the excellent facilities that Ridgecrest offers, what was initially a one day shoot grew to three, involving two aircraft, a herd of goats and several local crew hires.  Unfortunately the goats wound up on the editing room floor. 

The storyline for the third installment finds Blade joining forces with a group of vampire hunters called Nightstalkers, as they tackle the powerful and ruthless villain Danica Talos played by Parker Posey (Josie & the Pussycats, Scream 3, Dazed & Confused).  After harvesting the superior blood of the ancestor of all modern vampires, Talos has resurrected the man now known as "Drake," played by Dominic Purcell (John Doe, Mission Impossible II) from a century-long sleep in the hopes of finally getting world control for all vampires. Blade, along with the Nightstalkers, has only one chance to stop Talos and Drake from achieving world control of all of the vampires.  Co-starring with Snipes again will be Kris Kristofferson (Planet of the Apes, Payback and A Star Is Born) as Abraham Whistler, and from TV's 7^th Heaven, Jessica Biel, who plays Whistler's daughter.  Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, The In-Laws) plays wisecracking Nightstalker Hannibal King, and wrestling's Triple HHH rounds out the cast as menacing vampire Jarko.  BLADE: TRINITY is directed by David Goyer (Zigzag) who has written all three Blade scripts, and is currently writing the screenplay for Batman 5.

    Arthur estimates that local revenue produced by the three-day shoot totaled $138,000.  BLADE: TRINITY opens today.