Wesley Snipes is among the most respected actors in the cinematic industry with movies like U.S. Marshals, The Expendables 3, Coming 2 America, One Night Stand, and others. The actor made his superhero genre debut with the role of Marvel comic book hero Blade. The film Trilogy was released in 1998 and became a commercial success. The actor feels the trilogy was not given enough credit by fans.
Blade actor opened up on his reason for taking up the role of the black superhero and his films not being given the value it deserves as a superhero flick.
Wesley Snipes’ Blade kick-started the sub-genre
Director Bassam Tariq, who is associated with Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot, accredits Snipes for kick-starting the sub-genre in the comic book superhero genre. He shared with Indiewire,
“What’s exciting about the film that we’re making is [there] hasn’t been a canon for Blade, as we’re reading through the comics and everything. Him being a daywalker is the one thing that’s been established, and you know we can’t deny what Wesley Snipes did, which was he basically got this whole ball rolling. A Black man created the superhero world that we’re in, that’s just the truth.”
Snipes also revealed his motivation for taking up the role and how he underestimated the broad appeal of the Blade trilogy. Snipes told Comic book movie,
“In the beginning, my motivation for doing the first Blade project was to have fun and to do something I knew my homeboys and homegirls would absolutely love. The ones from the martial arts world. The ones from the Shaft world, and the ones who love Kung-fu and all that. We knew that would be attractive to that niche audience, but I had no idea it would have broader appeal. However, it was a good lesson. It taught us what was possible.”
The Blade Trilogy was released between 1998 and 2004.
Wesley Snipes expressed disappointment for Blade not getting it’s due
The actor was the first to start the trend of comic book superhero movies with his Blade Trilogy. The movies were successful at the box office and grossed $416 million worldwide. However, the actor feels the movie did not get credited for its influence on the film industry and superhero genre.
Wesley Snipes once told IGN,
“Some people forget or overlook my/our contribution to this current trend. The ‘Gaming’ community knows and the streets give us credits, but the movie world frequently plays us like the ‘ugly stepchild’ or the ‘kitchen help,’ especially when the conversation revolves around the ‘boys in tights’ or ‘the bat’.”
MCU is developing its Blade movie with Mahershahla Ali as the lead role under Bassam Tariq’s direction. Snipes revealed that he supports Ali’s casting and has spoken to him about the flick.
“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.”
The release date of Mahershahla Ali’s Blade is yet to be declared.
Source- IGN
