New Line

Over the weekend, Marvel Studios announced a slew of new information about its upcoming films and TV series, but one of the most jaw-dropping announcements was that two-time Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali was going to play the lead in a reboot of ‘Blade’.  Of course, Wesley Snipes solidified his superstar status back in the ’90s and early ’00s starring in three ‘Blade’ movies, distributed by New Line Cinema, and the actor has continued to tease a potential return to the role in recent years.  The announcement of a new ‘Blade’ movie, not connected to Snipes’, with a different actor would seem to indicate that any hopes that Snipes would return in the role had been dashed.

Unfortunately, it sounds as though Snipes learned of Ali’s casting the same time as the rest of us.  But to his credit, he is taking the news in stride.  To outraged fans of his Blade, Snipes penned a letter telling them to “chillaaxx.”

Read his words below:


Snipes recently kinda reprised his role for a cameo on FX’s vampire comedy ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.  For one sequence, various actors that had played vampires in the past, including Tilda Swinton, Paul Reubens, Evan Rachel Wood, and more reprised their vamp roles but were referred to by their real names, due to licensing reasons.

At any rate, Snipes’ ‘Blade’ kicked off the modern era of superhero movies, and that’s an accomplishment to be proud of.  And here’s hoping that there is room for Snipes to have some sort of role in the new picture.