Original Blade actor Wesley Snipes has confirmed that he's spoken with Mahershala Ali, who will play the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and shared his advice for the actor.
In a clip posted on Twitter, journalist Kevin Polowky brought up how Snipes recently voiced his support for Ali playing Blade before asking if the two had spoken. Snipes affirmed that he's spoken to Ali, saying, "We spoke. [...] 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 was then asked if he had any advice for Ali, and he replied: "Make sure you're in shape, man. Make sure you're in shape. Try not to get hurt. [...] The demands of action movies, you've gotta be an elite athlete and be well-conditioned to survive it and to avoid injury. And enjoy it while it lasts."
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, Eric Brooks/Blade first appeared in 1973's Tomb of Dracula #10. Blade is a mixture of human and vampire, known as a dhampir. This gives him many of the abilities of a vampire without certain drawbacks, such as vulnerability to sunlight. He uses these abilities to hunt and destroy vampires.
Snipes made his debut as Blade in the hero's eponymous film in 1998. That movie prove enough of a success that it was followed by two sequels, 2002's Blade II and 2004's Blade: Trinity. Over the years, Snipes has said that he'd like to play Blade once again.
However, following the announcement of Ali's casting at Comic-Con International in San Diego in 2019, the chances of Snipes returning as Blade are seemingly low, though the actor has said he's open to a cameo. Ali, for his part, made his MCU debut with a voice cameo in the post-credits scene of Eternals, which released earlier this year. Currently, there are reports Ali will appear in Disney+'s upcoming Moon Knight series, which is expected in 2022.
Little is known for certain about the plot of Ali's Blade film at this time. However, Bassam Tariq has been hired to direct, while Stacy Osei-Kuffour will write the movie. Filming begins in July 2022, and the project does not have a release date at this time.
Source: Twitter
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