The Blade movies, besides being an early example of a successful comic book film with a Black star, were also quite a successful property for Wesley Snipes, who starred as the titular vampire hunter in all 3 films. Now that Marvel Studios has decided to reboot the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali, Snipes has also had some time to reflect on his version of the character, and how he almost turned it down.
Some audiences may not remember the original Blade films; the franchise wasn't very well-reviewed, but they gained a cult following over the years as an interesting example of what superhero films were like pre-MCU. Though Snipes himself hasn't had a huge presence in Hollywood for some time, many still remember him fondly for his turn as the Daywalker and were wondering what his thoughts were on Marvel Studios' new Blade project.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige first announced the Blade reboot during the company's presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, with Ali himself making a surprise appearance on stage to announce his casting. Despite there being a number of fans who wished to see Snipes return to the role, the former Blade actor expressed support for the reboot and gave his blessing to both the project and Ali during an interview with Entertainment Tonight: "I'm one thousand percent supportive of it. I think it's great. Go for it, my man." Of course, the natural follow-up question was whether he'd be interested in doing a cameo for the film, as Marvel so often likes to do with legacy actors.
Snipes did say he'd be willing to pop in for an appearance in Marvel Studios' Blade if the company reached out to him, suggesting that there weren't any current plans as of yet: "Under the right circumstances, I'm open to play with everybody. I know that people associate me with that role." It'd certainly be a fun opportunity for Snipes to step back into the role, if only for a moment, especially with Marvel's recent teases of multiverse shenanigans.
Interestingly, despite how associated Snipes is with the role, he also revealed that, at the time, it was a rather risky play. During the interview, he mentioned how after he had decided to take on the role of Blade, he was advised against doing so by his representation: "Most of the representation I had at the time suggested I shouldn't do it. [They] were absolutely against me taking on the role." Thankfully it worked out rather well for him in the end, but it's interesting to know the Blade could've very easily ended up as an entirely different actor altogether.
Thankfully, Snipes didn't listen and audiences now have 3 Blade films to look back on while preparing for the latest reboot, which will be written by Watchmen scribe Stacy Osei-Kuffour. Hopefully, as Marvel moves closer to the release date for the latest version, there'll be some more details about how the film will, and won't, compare to the original trilogy.
Marvel Studios' Blade is currently in development.
Source: Entertainment Tonight