The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing and expanding, and Phase Four has definitely been a doozy so far. But fans are constantly looking forward to the upcoming Marvel movies, including Blade starring Mahershala Ali and directed by Bassam Tariq. While some hardcore fans are worried about the vampiric hero being PG-13 for the MCU, original Blade actor Wesley Snipes recently explained why it doesn’t need to be rated R.
Actor Wesley Snipes played the title character of the Blade series throughout three movies from 1998-2004. As such, it’s safe to say that he knows the Marvel character well, and long before the MCU was formed. Snipes recently spoke to ComicBook about the likelihood of a PG-13 Blade movie in the shared universe, saying:
I think those kind of stories lend themselves to a wide range of dialogue and situations. Both adult and young adult. I don't know, it seems like the R-rating and PG-13 base is sliding now because it seems that now the 13-year-olds can speak better words than the adults can. As long as it's true and organic to the subject matter, the plot, and the world that's created. If there's consistency, I think it's fine.
Well, there you have it. While Blade is typically a bloody superhero on both the page and screen, Wesley Snipes doesn’t think that Mahershala Ali’s upcoming movie has to be rated R. Specifically he thinks that the dialogue shouldn’t be affected by the rating, aside from only being able to include a few choice curse words.
Wesley Snipes’ comments about the MCU version of Blade night help to quell the fears of comic book purists out there. Because if even the OG Blade himself isn’t concerned about the next movie being PG-13, then who are we to judge? It’s not like Marvel Studios is known for producing bad comic book movies; every single release in Phase Three was a critical and box office success.
Of course, Blade isn’t the only upcoming Marvel movie that has fans worried about its rating. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 is currently in development, and is expected to take place within the main MCU timeline. The first two movies made history as R-rated superhero movies that were still able to make a ton of money at the box office. But will the Disney-owned MCU pull Reynolds back? We’ll have to wait and see.
Marvel fantastic have long-waited for Blade to finally join the MCU, although Mahershala Ali has some big shoes to fill thanks to the legacy of Wesley Snipes. While we’ll have to wait until Phase Five for that project to come to life on the big screen, Ali did technically already make his entrance into the shared universe. Namely by an uncredited voice cameo in Eternals’ post-credits scene.
The next installment in the MCU is Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
