In mid-2019, Marvel announced a Blade reboot, with Mahershala Ali tapped to take on the role of Daywalker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While plenty of folks see this as a fantastic casting, the original actor behind the shades, Wesley Snipes, has taken to social media to share his thoughts about his iconic role.
Wesley Snipes first starred in 1998’s Blade as the titular vampire hunter, and reprised his role for two more films, last donning the iconic black trench coat in 2004’s Blade Trinity. Since then, he's campaigned to reprise his role as the smack-talking half vampire, half human. After being asked about his potential return to the character, Wesley Snipes shared his latest comment on a potential reprisal via Twitter:
His tweet comes as no surprise considering his past comments on the Mahershala Ali casting. But the idea of Wesley Snipes coming back to the Blade property isn't new. He's been entertaining the thought since 2017, before Ali was attached to the project:
Although he has played it cool in regards to a new actor taking up the role, Wesley Snipes is adamant about one thing: he will always be Blade. It makes sense. When an actor takes on a role, they offer a bit of themselves to the character, making each performance unique. For example, Christian Bale’s Batman is completely different from Michael Keaton’s, but both are great for their own unique reasons. Each actor will always be Batman, to me. Blade is no different in this case.
Wesley Snipes imbued himself into his Blade performance throughout the years and fostered a deep connection with the character. His signature one liners and over-the-top action sequences made for some of the best Marvel films outside of the MCU, in my opinon.
I’m sure that Mahershala Ali will do the character justice, as he’s been likened to Wesley Snipes since high school and used Blade as an inspiration for his role as Cottonmouth in the Marvel series Luke Cage. The upcoming Blade reboot will mark his return to the MCU since Luke Cage was cancelled after just two seasons at Netflix. Unfortunately fans eager for more Blade will have to wait, as it has yet to secure a release date.
The MPAA rating of Disney's Blade is another unknown factor. Fan of the series will recognize that the original Blade trilogy doesn't skimp on the violence or f-bombs. Some of the most iconic lines contain colorful language, to say the least:
Will Disney’s Blade go full on rated R, with f-bombs and dismemberment in the upcoming reboot? I have my doubts. But if that’s your thing, HBO Max subscribers can now watch the entire Wesley Snipes Blade trilogy in all of its gory glory. For those waiting for the next MCU installment, check out our list of upcoming Marvel movies, which includes release dates for Phases 4 and 5.
