Mahershala Ali taking over as Blade may be exciting for most, but many others feel bad for the franchise’s original star Wesley Snipes. The 56-year-old actor has long been advocating to reprise the titular role of the superhero onscreen. It looked like he was finally going to get his wish after all these years, too, when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige started pushing for a continuation of the series with the talented performer at the forefront. Then a two-time Academy Award winner picked up the phone and the rest is history.
Now Snipes’ tenure as Eric Brooks looks like it’s done for good. Still, fans are hoping that Marvel gives the actor a role in the series he loves so much. Given all that he’s contributed to the films over the years, it seems like a fitting way to pay him back. Snipes has yet to give his opinion on the matter, but it’s likely that he’s at least somewhat disappointed that the franchise is moving on without him.
Down below though, you’ll find just a sampling of what the fans have been saying on Twitter, with many thinking it’s only right for the studio to involve him:
https://twitter.com/r3al___AJ/status/1152900688734826496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Let's start the movement right here, right now, for @MarvelStudios to cast @wesleysnipes as Whistler in the reboot of #BladeMCU.
The entire current run of comic-book movies owes everything to the 1st Blade movie, so a little honouring of the legacy he left isn't too much to ask. pic.twitter.com/alPwqPIplY
— Henry Higgins III – bipedal meatsack (confirmed) (@dravencage) July 21, 2019
The actor has been a part of the Blade series since its inception in 1998 and the massive heights that comic book movies have risen to as of 2019 owe at least some of their success to this ambitious superhero movie. Snipes has starred in all three installments thus far and it would be a shame for his legacy with the franchise to end just because a younger talent has been cast in the role that used to be his.
The upcoming project still has a long way to go before it hits theaters, as almost all other details aside from Ali’s casting are currently under wraps, so there’s still time for Marvel to make good on what they’ve done by incorporating Snipes into the new Blade movie. After all, it would mean everything to the fans and even more to him.