Wesley Snipes Gives Advice to MCU Blade Actor Mahershala Ali

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Eternals.

Wesley Snipes gives some words of advice to new Blade actor Mahershala Ali. Snipes played Blade for three films under New Line Cinema in partnership with Marvel. The first film was 1998’s Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, the second was Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro, and the third was Blade: Trinity, directed by David S. Goyer. Blade was created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colon in 1973, first appearing in Marvel’s The Tomb of Dracula #10. The character was featured in a live-action TV series starring Sticky Fingaz and has appeared in numerous animated and comic appearances since his creation.

Mahershala Ali was announced as the new Blade for the MCU onstage back at 2019’s San Diego Comic Con by Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige. No release date was announced for the film, but HBO’s Watchmen scribe, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, has been put on script duties, while Bassam Tariq has been rumored to direct. Ali recently made his voice-only first appearance as Blade in the post-credits scene of Eternals with Dane Whitman (Kit Harington).

Talking to Yahoo Movies! Kevin Polowy, Snipes commented on Ali’s casting as the character, saying he’s spoken to the actor about taking over the role. According to Snipes, there’s “no emotional loss” about Ali taking over the role. When asked what advice Snipes would give to Ali in playing Blade, the veteran actor had some specific things to note, particularly, being in great shape and enjoying the ride. Here’s his full comment:

“Make sure you’re in shape, man. Make sure you’re in shape. Try not to get hurt, that’s a biggie. The demands of an action movie is you’ve gotta be an elite athlete. And being well-conditioned to survive and to avoid injury. And enjoy it while it lasts.”

Ali won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in the drama Moonlight in 2017 and then again for Green Book in 2019. The actor has featured prominently in a number of high-profile projects throughout the years, including Netflix’s House of Cards, HBO’s True Detective, Marvel/Netflix’s Luke Cage, HBO’s Treme, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2. Ali has also done voice work for Amazon’s Invincible and for 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

Snipes left an indelible mark on the character of Blade during his tenure, which is a legacy he’ll always carry. Thankfully, the actor has been gracious about the torch being passed, which shows respect for the character, while maintaining his peace in moving him forward onto the MCU chessboard. While many would’ve like to have seen Snipes continue on in the role, the age factor would’ve caught up quickly as there’s a 12-year gap between the actors. Ali is a great get for the role, however, and will surely put a unique spin on the legacy that Snipes has left in his wake, which will honor his contributions, while creating a new take that will likely be emulated when it comes time to pass the torch again.

Source: Kevin Polowy

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