When he was asked what it was like working with Wesley Snipes on this film, Ryan Reynolds said sincerely that "I never met Wesley Snipes on this film, not for a second. I only met Blade."
One of the television commercials for the film was recalled after one day of airing because it accidentally credited Jessica Biel as Jessica Alba.
Jessica Biel inadvertently destroyed a camera, costing more than $300,000, when she fired an arrow directly into the camera's lens. She was directed to "aim for the camera," which had a Plexiglas shield in front of it to protect it, except for a small opening in front of the lens. Biel had perfected her archery skills while training for this role to such a degree that when she fired the arrow - at a distance of approximately 50 feet - at the camera, as she was directed, it went directly through the lens and into the camera itself, destroying it. The footage of the incident is included in the DVD extras.
According to Patton Oswalt, the production was so troubled due to studio interference and that Wesley Snipes appeared to have had some sort of mental breakdown. He refused to speak to David S. Goyer and often would not come out of his trailer, he would only respond to the name 'Blade', and if he communicated with anyone, it would be via post-it notes. Ryan Reynolds corroborated this while promoting the film, saying that Snipes would ignore the entire cast, but he once acknowledged Reynolds by saying "Keep your mouth shut. You'll live longer."
Blade II (2002) director Guillermo del Toro passed on the film when Hellboy (2004), his dream project, was greenlit.
Gabriel Beristain: (at around 15 mins) The film's director of photography appears as the one-eyed newspaper vendor speaking to Whistler.