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Wesley Snipes Responds To Mahershala Ali Taking The Lead In 'Blade' Reboot


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Kevin Feige made a bombshell announcement at Comic-Con with a listing of new Marvel movies, which included the forthcoming Blade reboot with Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali.  Many asked on social media why the change of using Ali instead of the Wesley Snipes, who played the day-walking vampire hunter in the original Blade trilogy?

Well, Snipes has heard the Blade fans and has come forward with a statement that was given to ComicBook.com.

“To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx.  Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’”  He continued, “Much peace to the MCU crew – always a fan. Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together. Most importantly to my loyal fans, the incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming. I am grateful for the never-ending support. So, ‘nah fret nah worry, it’s not de end of de story.’ Welcome to the Daywalker Klique.”

That said, Snipes has no complaints about the change and feels as he is passing the torch to the new Blade.  In response, Ali paid homage to Snipes by posting a picture of him in full daywalker vampire hunting garb via a Twitter post.

Source: Deadline

Wesley_Snipes_Blade.jpg

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The Blade franchise was a fore runner for what was to come. The good makings of the MCU. IMO Blade was the role that most fans especially MCU fans will remember Wesley Snipes for. Of course "Too wong foo, Julie Newmar" has been deleted from my memory banks. Awwww hell, I just remembered.

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Class Act! Much respect to Wesley Snipes! The way he was able to take such a totally obscure Marvel character and make him such a powerhouse of Badassery...Legend! The first movie really set the tone, especially stylistically for all action films in the new millennium. While I would have preferred to see WS return to the role, if there was anyone who could fill his Blade Boots, it's Ali. Really looking forward to the film!

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Look, I think Mahershala Ali can pull this off. Maybe not as good as Snipes, but good in a different way. My problem is with the sudden casting of all these older, high priced actors for new franchises. I have the same problem with Jolie and Hayek in the Eternals. If these new projects are set to go on for any length of time, why would you not cast some younger talent that doesn't come at such a hefty price and put some of that extra capital in production costs. Remember, even RDJ was at a low point in his career and wash purchased at a premium low for what was considered a risky project at the time. He didn't actually break the bank until later when Marvel Studios was profitable and they pretty much realized there was no one better to play Tony Stark. I'm no movie industry professional, but I know Marvel Studios is at the top of it's game right now, and though I personally have my doubts about some of the things on the recently announced Movie/TV schedule, I really don't think they need all that many recognizable names to push their brand. I mean Ali is 10 years older than Snipes was when they cast him and that arch went on for 6 years. It'll be at least a year before this new movie comes out and if it the arch goes on for even 5 years this cat will be over 50 years old by the time it ends.  I know some actors like Nick Cage and Keannu Reeves are able to withstand the test of time better than others, but even Hugh Jackman, who is in phenomenal shape, pushed it to the absolute limit when he realized it was finally time to bow out, and much like RDJ, it's gonna be hard to see anyone else as Wolverine. I dunno. I love the Blade character. I like Ali as an actor. I really do hope this new movie is good and does well, but if this movie franchise goes on for any length of time, much like the Wolverine franchise, they're gonna hafta adapt an Old Man Blade script to finish off the movie arch.

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1 hour ago, mako said:

I'd have cast a white guy, just to see the internet REALLY lose it's collective $#!+.

Plus, after Jim, Wally and Iris West; Nick Fury, Affirmative Action Valkyrie, James Olsen, Not Mary Jane etc. it would've been great to be able to say a heart-felt "Yeah, Sucks Don't It?"

 

Lol, you know just as well as I do that's a train they're never gonna be able to back up. Even Marvel Comics itself, knowing they were tanking the company, the industry even, exhausted every last possible option before realizing the only way to right the ship was to change everything back to the way it was. I guess Marvel Studios might have to go through those same growing pains as well. "Hello movie goers, say Hi to Natalie Portman as Thor", it's gonna be a helluva ride.

The whole James Olsen thing always gave me a chuckle too. Like somehow "Jimmy" wasn't ethnic enough.

The funniest thing about it is the people who would "lose their collective $#!+", as you so eloquently put it, are the same ones that demanded that Peter Parker and Danny Rand's race/gender be changed a couple of years ago. If irony made a sound it would be deafening.

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2 hours ago, mako said:

I'd have cast a white guy, just to see the internet REALLY lose it's collective $#!+.

Plus, after Jim, Wally and Iris West; Nick Fury, Affirmative Action Valkyrie, James Olsen, Not Mary Jane etc. it would've been great to be able to say a heart-felt "Yeah, Sucks Don't It?"

 

I'm pretty sure most people of colour already know it sucks to have every role written for, or otherwise given to, a white person. They don't need another high-profile reminder.

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13 hours ago, AwesomeHog said:

 In my mind, it was Blade that changed the way we looked at Comic Book movies. I think it opened the door for X-Men.

Pretty sure X-Men was already green-lit by the time Blade hit.  Also you have to remember that most people that watched Blade had no idea it was a "comic book movie" because Blade was such an obscure character.  Not denying that Blade was the first real big-screen success for Marvel, but because it wasn't really advertised as a comic-book movie it's kind of difficult to determine how much credit it should get as the leading edge of the modern comic-book movie craze.  Some?  Absolutely.  And totally worthy of a remake/reboot/inclusion into the MCU.

4 minutes ago, Batbishop said:

I hope he has a cameo.

I hope he has a cameo, and gets to crack about ice skates and inclines.

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Kids, let's keep this on subject. Whatever your views are on racial casting, please, keep them to yourselves. There's no need to always have to create controversy on socio-political matters, we can talk about how awesome it is Ali is playing the Daywalker, or how it sucks that the Netflix shows have been all but wiped from canon, or that "he's too old" to start heading a franchise right now anyway and Snipes should come back... or how awesome it'll be to have Blade inspired figures with the movie coming out. Just, stop trying to make things controversial out of what reads like childish spite.

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1 hour ago, memocromatico said:

Kids, let's keep this on subject. Whatever your views are on racial casting, please, keep them to yourselves. There's no need to always have to create controversy on socio-political matters, we can talk about how awesome it is Ali is playing the Daywalker, or how it sucks that the Netflix shows have been all but wiped from canon, or that "he's too old" to start heading a franchise right now anyway and Snipes should come back... or how awesome it'll be to have Blade inspired figures with the movie coming out. Just, stop trying to make things controversial out of what reads like childish spite.

So you're gonna preach all that and then take a final crack exposing your own personal "political" spit? Classic.

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2 hours ago, monron999 said:

So you're gonna preach all that and then take a final crack exposing your own personal "political" spit? Classic.

That's your interpretation. I'm saying that if the reality is some characters have been cast and portrayed black instead of their traditional white, and someone asks for a traditionally black character so be portrayed white so they could say "HA! Suck it!" is pretty childish. I'd most definitely say the same about the opposite. The statement is childish. I'm not commenting on the view. You know where I stand on that  because we've had that conversation before, but I'm not taking part of it right now.

We could keep arguing over this, or you could recommend me some Blade characters to investigate and start the hype train and wish list. I'm sure you know way more about this than I do, I only remember him from looking cool in the ASM 90s cartoon and the movies, but haven't ever really read too much of him. 

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19 minutes ago, memocromatico said:

you could recommend me some Blade characters to investigate and start the hype train and wish list.

Definitely need a first appearance/classic version of the man, himself!  Frankly I'd take him in the green coat or the reddish-brown coat color scheme with equal glee.  We also need a new Dracula, too!  Actually, Hasbro could do their own version of that old Toybiz monsters boxed set with updated Drac, Werewolf by Night, Frankenstein, and N'Kantu the Living Mummy.  They'd get my money if done well.

original-blade-561x500.thumb.jpg.6b468ce41067f66bebbaa108211040e2.jpg990503.thumb.jpg.426ef6e7e02d0bbd3b6cc4b77f7ffdb8.jpg

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13 minutes ago, MonsterChris said:

Definitely need a first appearance/classic version of the man, himself!  Frankly I'd take him in the green coat or the reddish-brown coat color scheme with equal glee.  We also need a new Dracula, too!  Actually, Hasbro could do their own version of that old Toybiz monsters boxed set with updated Drac, Werewolf by Night, Frankenstein, and N'Kantu the Living Mummy.  They'd get my money if done well.

original-blade-561x500.thumb.jpg.6b468ce41067f66bebbaa108211040e2.jpg990503.thumb.jpg.426ef6e7e02d0bbd3b6cc4b77f7ffdb8.jpg

Do you think they'll remake a classic Snipes Hasbro style?

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41 minutes ago, memocromatico said:

Do you think they'll remake a classic Snipes Hasbro style?

Sadly, I doubt that would happen anytime soon.  I couldn't begin to guess at the legality/rights issues at play, but more importantly it would probably be thought by execs to detract from the upcoming movie hype they'd want to create.  I'm very glad I hung onto my old Toybiz one.

But, that doesn't mean they couldn't do a comic or new movie Blade in the Ultimate Riders line and go all out on the accessories like the old TB release did: bike (natch!), removable coat, shades, couple of pistols, sword, stakes, and his glaive/Blade-a-rang throwing weapon thing.

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Really looking forward to see what they give us with this new Blade film. Granted Ali is a bit old, but his acting is really good. Also hope they give Snipes a cameo of some sort.

As for action figures, I wonder if Hasbro would do an entire Blade dedicated wave of ML or if they'll include the movie figures in another wave, just like with the Antman and the Wasp figures.

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On 7/24/2019 at 8:13 AM, mako said:

I'd have cast a white guy, just to see the internet REALLY lose it's collective $#!+.

Plus, after Jim, Wally and Iris West; Nick Fury, Affirmative Action Valkyrie, James Olsen, Not Mary Jane etc. it would've been great to be able to say a heart-felt "Yeah, Sucks Don't It?"

 

 If you don’t like when a company takes an established character and changes the sex or race to something else because it’s disrespectful to the source material then there is no way even joking you would want them to cast blade as a white guy, end of story. Anything else just comes off sounding like spiteful trolishish white guy crap trying to get a rise out of people and being disruptive to this community.

 

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12 hours ago, DylanRaven055 said:

Really looking forward to see what they give us with this new Blade film. Granted Ali is a bit old, but his acting is really good. Also hope they give Snipes a cameo of some sort.

As for action figures, I wonder if Hasbro would do an entire Blade dedicated wave of ML or if they'll include the movie figures in another wave, just like with the Antman and the Wasp figures.

I mean, I'd note for the record that Chadwick Boseman is 40+ but doesn't look it.  I'm sure Ali will be fine.  Heck, has Sam Jackson even aged in the last 30 years?

As for any potential toy waves, I'd suspect we'd get a mixed wave of comic and movie figures, but it'd be a full wave (possibly with a human-sized BAF though).  Hasbro isn't going to half-ass Blade after the response Black Panther got. 

 

If it were me picking?

Movie Blade

Movie Villain

Movie Supporting Character (Hannibal King?)

Daimon Hellstrom

Comic Blade (Modern Long coat)

Comic Dracula (Modern Red Armor)

90's John Blaze

BAF: Zarathos (Or appropriate movie character)

Fan Channel Exclusive:  Classic Blade and Classic Dracula 2-pack

 

 

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1 hour ago, mako said:

And believe me, we're all glad you're here to speak for all of us.

Just as glad I am sure as when people come on a message board with seemingly the main intent to try stir sh@t up by rehashing the same tired rhetoric even when it has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.  It's almost like they want to keep trying to push the limits until they get themselves banned.

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16 minutes ago, JayC said:

Just as glad I am sure as when people come on a message board with seemingly the main intent to try stir sh@t up by rehashing the same tired rhetoric even when it has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.  It's almost like they want to keep trying to push the limits until they get themselves banned.

374733272_oooohcat.thumb.gif.fdca34196f910372da201fb8664f543b.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it sucks because, while we don't always agree, they do have something interesting to say about everything Marvel. 

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10 minutes ago, memocromatico said:

374733272_oooohcat.thumb.gif.fdca34196f910372da201fb8664f543b.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it sucks because, while we don't always agree, they do have something interesting to say about everything Marvel. 

Saying stuff to get a rise out of people is not saying something interesting about Marvel. Hoping they cast a white guy as a black character not only has absolutely nothing to do with this actual topic  this thread is about but its done with the intent to piss people off. The same small group of people have made it very clear over and over there thoughts on that matter, and in certain threads where that discussion is more in keeping with that topic I've allowed them to voice their opinions within reason, but I'm not going to have every thread hijacked because they don't like something. It gets old and myself and the moderators have better things to do than deal that, and if  anyone doesn't like that then they are perfectly welcome to go someplace else, and if they want to force the issue then they will have no choice but to go someplace else.

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