Wesley Snipes, who starred as the titular vampire hunter in New Line Cinema's Blade trilogy, does not think that Marvel Studios' upcoming reboot of the character needs to be R-rated.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Snipes gave his thoughts on why the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film can be good regardless of its rating. "I think those kind of stories lend themselves to a wide range of dialogue and situations. Both adult and young adult," he said. "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 [to be PG-13]."
Directed by Stephen Norrington, 1998's Blade starred Snipes as Eric Brooks, a "daywalker" who has dedicated his life to hunting evil vampires as Blade. Although the film received mixed reception from critics, Blade has developed a devoted fanbase who grew to love Snipes' version of the Marvel character. Even Mahershala Ali, who will portray the MCU's version of Blade, has admitted that Snipes will be a tough act to follow. "What I look forward to is earning it," Ali said back in November. "I look forward to earning... You know, there's an anticipation for it, there's an excitement for it that he owns -- that Mr. Snipes owns, you know? And so, in filling his shoes... I'm just working to earn my place in this... I'm just excited to get going and do the work."
Unlike the original Blade trilogy, which were all R-rated, the Marvel Studios film is set to be PG-13. Since the franchise began with 2008's Iron Man, every film in the MCU has been given a PG-13 rating in the United States. The lack of an R-rating for Ali's film has frustrated some fans, who feel that Marvel continues to ignore the contributions to the genre that New Line's version made.
But while the Ali-led film won't receive the mature rating that some fans may have been hoping for, this doesn't mean that the MCU will never go beyond the PG-13 rating. Rhett Reese, co-writer of the upcoming MCU-set Deadpool 3, have recently confirmed that the film will be as raunchy as its predecessors were. "[Disney has] been very supportive with regard to [the film's adult humor]. Now when it comes to a particular joke, if we cross a line, maybe we'll hear at some point, 'Maybe not that joke,'" Reese said when asked if Disney wanted the film to be more family-friendly. "But we've definitely got their support, and that's a great thing to feel."
Marvel Studios' Blade does not yet have a release date.
Source: ComicBook.com