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Tag: @movieid:3695

  • Wesley Snipes Is ‘All Good’ With New ‘Blade’ Star Mahershala Ali

    Wesley Snipes Is ‘All Good’ With New ‘Blade’ Star Mahershala Ali

    New Line Cinema

    Marvel made some serious waves at Comic-Con over the weekend, announcing a huge slate of new projects that will take the MCU through Phase Four and into Phase Five. Among the buzziest was “Blade,” which will be rebooted with Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the title role. But what does the former Daywalker, Wesley Snipes, think of being replaced?

    It turns out that Snipes is actually “all good” with the news, revealing in a new statement that he was “surprised” by Marvel’s decision, but is happy to have the “beautiful and talented” Ali follow in his footsteps. The actor also saved a special shout-out for his fans, saying that their “incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming.”

    Snipes’s full statement said:

    “To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx,” he said in a statement provided to EW by his rep. “Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ 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.”

    Ali’s casting comes nearly 15 years after the release of the last “Blade” flick, 2004’s “Blade: Trinity,” which co-starred Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel. As recently as 2016, Snipes had been hopeful that a fourth “Blade” feature would be made, though that project never materialized.

    In an interview with Fandango, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige revealed that Ali himself approached the studio to pitch himself as the new Blade. The acclaimed actor received an immediate yes, according to the exec.

    It’s not entirely clear yet when “Blade” is expected to hit theaters, though Feige told Collider that the flick will be part of Phase Five, not Phase Four, pegging it for release sometime in 2022. Stay tuned to see if it sticks to that schedule.

    [via: Entertainment Weekly]

  • The 24 Best R-Rated Comic Book Movies Ever Made, Ranked

    The 24 Best R-Rated Comic Book Movies Ever Made, Ranked

  • 11 Things You Never Knew About Marvel’s ‘Blade’

    11 Things You Never Knew About Marvel’s ‘Blade’

    New Line

    It’s been 20 years since “Blade” hit theaters and proved that movies based on Marvel characters don’t have to suck (unless we’re talking about bloodsucking).

    Without the R-rated “Blade,” there may never have been an X-Men franchise or a Marvel Cinematic Universe. So to honor the anniversary of this landmark superhero movie, here are ten things you might not know about this Summer of 1998 sleeper hit.

    1. While the movie was largely shot in Los Angeles, a map Blade holds suggests that the story takes place in New Orleans.

    2. In the comics, Blade originally had no superhuman abilities apart from his immunity to vampire bites. Marvel eventually overhauled the character to bring him more in line with the movie version.

    Marvel Comics

    3. Early development for “Blade” began in 1992.

    4. At one point, LL Cool J was considered to star in the film.

    5. While far from the first movie based on a Marvel Comics property, “Blade” was only the second after 1986’s “Howard the Duck” to receive a theatrical release in the US.

    Universal

    6. Prior to starring in the “Blade” trilogy, Wesley Snipes announced his intention to play Black Panther. Unfortunately, that project didn’t come together until much later.

    7. “Blade” is one of the few modern Marvel movies not to feature a Stan Lee cameo. However, Lee did indeed film a cameo as one of the cops investigating the killings at the film’s opening sequence at the slaughterhouse . His scene was cut from the finished film.

    Marvel Studios

    8. Wesley Snipes is actually nine years older than actress Sanaa Lathan, despite the fact that she plays his mother in the film. Good thing vampires don’t age.

    9. Jet Li was offered the part of Deacon Frost, which would have made “Blade” his first American movie role. He went with “Lethal Weapon 4” instead.

    10. The original cut of the film featured a much different final battle between Deacon Frost and Blade, one in which the former transformed into a massive blood monster, the god La Magra. A poor reaction from test audiences to the sequence’s low-fi CG depicting La Magra forced New Line to significantly retool this sequence into the fight we now see.

    Marvel Comics

    11. An alternate ending to the film features Blade being watched by a mysterious, shrouded vampire. This scene was intended to set the stage for the Spider-Man character Morbius to be a major antagonist in the sequel.