Deepfake technology is giving fans of the day-walking vigilante Blade a preview of what to expect from Mahershala Ali in the upcoming Marvel reboot.
The dedicated face-swapping YouTube channel FaceToFake has compiled a montage of footage from the existing Blade films to get a sense of what Ali will look like as the leather-clad martial artist who fights the underground world of vampires while working to keep his own hunger for blood under control. Set to vibrant techno and highlighting the complex fight choreography and superhuman stunts, the uncanny face-swap reminds fans what made the original such a commercial and cult success.
As no other casting decisions have been announced, the channel also took it upon themselves to cast other actors in previous roles, substituting Kris Kristofferson (Whistler) for Viggo Mortensen, Stephen Dorff (Frost) for Robert Pattinson and, in a brief flashback, Halle Berry as Sanaa Lathan (Blade's mother). The actual film has released few updates since it was announced at San Diego's Comic-Con International in July 2019. While the new Blade will not be part of MCU's Phase Four, it is rumored to connect to Disney+'s upcoming Moon Knight television series in some way.
Ali has been lobbying for a larger role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a while. Although he has portrayed major antagonists as both Cottonmouth on Netflix's Luke Cage and Aaron Davis in Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this will be Ali's first lead role within the MCU. Marvel Studios head and producer Kevin Feige has said that the reason Blade is happening at all is largely because of Ali.
Ali will be taking over the eponymous character from Wesley Snipes, who starred as the original vampire hunter in all three Blade films, Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity, which began in 1998 and continued to 2004. Although no director has been officially tapped, Black Lightning and Locke and Key director Mark Tonderai is reportedly a huge fan of the original trilogy and is very interested in taking the reigns of the gritty action flick.
A release date hasn't been set for Marvel Studios' Blade starring Mahershala Ali.
Source: YouTube