Even though Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson’s collaboration on the Blade movies predates the 2024 movie schedule by a healthy margin, the pairing is still an iconic part of comic history. Upcoming Marvel movies will have to live up to the duo that were once Blade and Whistler, and the world was reminded of that fact in a bittersweet fashion, thanks to Kristofferson’s passing this past weekend, at age 88.
That event has prompted Snipes to pay sweet tribute to his previous co-star, and the Deadpool & Wolverine star did so by sharing some photos of himself and Kris Kristofferson in the New Line Cinema saga of comic adaptations. With those images came a beautiful caption addressing the family of the country music star/actor, per this post made by Wesley Snipes on social media:
Sharing the wisdom that Kristofferson shared with him in life, Mr. Snipes’ post is a firm reminder of just how far spanning his Blade mentor’s legacy stretched. With an acting career that included and inspired some great country music movies, the Texas-born musician crossed genre borders throughout his career on the silver screen.
Some notable entries in Mr. Kristofferson's cinematic resume include the 1976 version of A Star is Born, which co-starred Barbara Streisand, as well as the action-comedy Convoy and the sci-fi thriller Millennium. And that's all on top of continuing his work as a country singer, up until his retirement in 2001.
Both Marvel and horror fans would see Kris Kristofferson burst into the comic movie world in 1998, as Blade used a comic book adaptation to become one of the best ‘90s movies ever. Playing that role until 2004’s Blade: Trinity, there hasn’t been another Whistler yet, making the job of Marvel’s upcoming Blade reboot all the harder.
As this summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine saw Wesley Snipes’ MCU character record eclipse that of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, this means that technically the same can be said for Kris Kristofferson’s Whistler. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get one more appearance from the legendary acting and singing talent who knew how to charm and threaten his co-stars in equal measure.
Here’s hoping that the next Whistler in the Blade legacy will make for a fitting mentor for Mahershala Ali’s titular MCU badass. The bar may be set high by Mr. Kristofferson’s perfect performance, but the right actor could meet that challenge in the near future. And if the upcoming 2025 movie's current release date manages to stay in place, we could see such efforts arrive at the movies sooner than later.
Much as Wesley Snipes is fondly remembered as the original Blade to rule them all, Kris Kristofferson is equally well regarded as Whistler, and will be for as long as movie history continues. We here at CinemaBlend would also like to offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Kristofferson's friends and family as they navigate this time of memory and grief.
