Wesley Snipes returned in style to his Blade role in the recent MCU movie, Deadpool & Wolverine. It was the most surprising cameo of the film for a couple of reasons. Fans never thought Snipes would appear in a Ryan Reynolds movie after their alleged feud in Blade: Trinity. They also believed that Marvel wouldn’t greenlight the idea since they already have Mahershala Ali’s Blade.
Ali was announced as the new Blade in the 2019 Comic-Con, but the updates that came from the film ever since weren’t promising. At a time when Snipes and Deadpool & Wolverine are being celebrated, MCU’s Blade movie didn’t even get a mention at the recent San Diego Comic-Con.
Fans Are Furious That Wesley Snipes Returned to Blade Role Before Mahershala Ali’s Movie
Mahershala Ali‘s Blade appears to be still trapped in a cobweb of behind-the-scenes issues. Over the last five years since it was announced, the film underwent multiple changes in writers and directors. Bassam Tariq and Watchmen fame Stacy Osei-Kuffour were initially attached as the director and screenwriter of the film. However, Tariq left the film due to the delays in the production start date.
In 2022, Yann Demange was brought in as the director, with Michael Starrbury and later Nic Pizzolatto writing the script. In November 2023, Michael Green was hired to write a new script. As of June 2024, Demange has exited the film, and Eric Pearson is the current writer. During this long gap, Ali even made an uncredited cameo in his character in Eternals.
Interestingly, Wesley Snipes got to return to his Blade role after two decades before Ali could film or release his Blade film. Snipes played the vampire hunter role in the 1998 version of Blade. The film was a surprise hit and it was credited with saving Marvel from bankruptcy. It went on to spawn a trilogy, with Snipes playing the character till 2004.
Snipes’ role in Deadpool & Wolverine happened after Ryan Reynolds called him out of the blue after 20 years. Snipes had given up on the role ever since Ali was cast in the role in the MCU. The casting surprised Snipes as much as it did for the audience. Fans are now furious at how Marvel is doing an Oscar-winning actor dirty by completely ignoring his film.
A fan shared the Blade announcement video from five years ago and angry fans had various things to say in the comments. Fans compared the situation with Channing Tatum’s Gambit, which never took off. One fan used a popular meme to make fun of the movie, sharing that GTA 6 would come out before Blade. Some of the fan reactions read:
This was 5 years ago https://t.co/ya1qcQOU9T
— Sethsfilmreviews (@sethsfilmreview) August 6, 2024
Hes perfect to play blade too, sucks its taking so long.
— CyberPress 2077 (@Press_X_Fool) August 7, 2024
He is the modern day Tatum with Gambit lol
— I’m Just Sam G 🎥📝🤼🙏🏾 (@ImJustSamG) August 7, 2024
Movie could have been out with a sequel in the works by now man
— ☀️ Trafalgar D. Ashy 🌻 (@Thee_ashy_larry) August 7, 2024
We might just get GTA6 before Blade
— Sarah (@yoga_doll) August 8, 2024
The lack of any Blade update from the Marvel panel at the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con also angered many fans. Fans are not sure of the 2025 release date of the film anymore, with the film yet to lock in a director. Marvel boss Kevin Feige gave an update on the film recently.
Kevin Feige Reveals The Reason Behind The Delay In Production Of Blade
Mahershala Ali is still attached to the project, despite reports of the actor getting tired of the long delay. During an interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Kevin Feige shared that the studio remains committed to Ali’s film. He shared that Marvel wants to make no mistakes in the film, which was causing the delay. He shared that everyone involved in the project was also frustrated by the situation.
Feige shared that the film has a new writer now and that he had read half of his new draft and felt satisfied. Feige shared with Blavity:
We are committed to the movie, and we’re so committed to it that we’re not going to make it until it’s right, which has been frustrating for us, and for some fans, because it’s taken a while. We have a writer working on it now. I’ve read half of his new draft, and it’s feeling good so far.
When asked about Wesley Snipes’ potential cameo in the Blade film, Feige shared that he didn’t want to take the attention away from Ali who was committed to the project for the last few years. Mia Goth is also confirmed in a role in the film.
Deadpool & Wolverine is currently running successfully in theaters. The expected release date of Blade is November 7, 2025.
