Though his days as Marvel's Blade on the big screen are in the rearview mirror, the chances of Wesley Snipes joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe remain up in the air.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Snipes was asked if Marvel Studios had reached out to him for a potential cameo in the upcoming Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali. "No, not as of yet," said Snipes. "I'm still working on my acting skills. So when I come up as an actor, maybe they'll reach out and say, 'Let's have a conversation,' or maybe they don't feel I'm ensemble player."
Snipes has been very vocal about his support for Ali stepping into the shoes of the Daywalker and has engaged in conversations with the Oscar-winning actor. "We spoke," said Snipes. "The issue of him being cast wasn't between us. That was business. I'm cool with it. I don't walk around as Blade, so I'm not attached to the character like that. I feel no emotional loss. Zero. I'm happy that he's been recast and more than likely will do a great job."
Snipes' connection to Marvel goes as far back as the early '90s when the actor was attached to star in a Black Panther film adaptation set to be directed by the late John Singleton. Ultimately, script issues and creative differences stalled its development. Snipes became attached to Blade after being suggested to New Line Cinema by future Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer. Released in 1998 and directed by Stephen Norrington, Blade was the first truly successful Marvel Comics film adaptation, grossing $131 million on a $45 million budget. The movie spawned two sequels, 2002's Blade II and 2004's Blade Trinity, and a short-lived television series starring Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones.
The Blade movie rights reverted to Marvel Studios in 2012. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the MCU set Blade reboot was officially announced with Ali in the title role. But while the film has yet to even receive a trailer, Ali has already appeared in the MCU. He made an uncredited off-screen voiceover cameo during the post-credits scene in Marvel Studios' Eternals.
Ali found the simple voiceover cameo to be a nerve-wracking experience. "It was scary," said Ali. "Because, you know, you're talking before you're filming it. I'm pretty particular about my choices, like most actors, and so having to make some choices -- even with a line, vocally -- this early on, it brought up some very real anxieties. And it made the job real. It's like, 'Okay, this is happening now,' you know, and that's exciting."
Filming on Marvel Studios' Blade begins in July. The film does not yet have an official release date.
Source: ComicBook.com