SNIPES: BLADE RETURN SPARKED BY UNEXPECTED CALL FROM RYAN REYNOLDS
Summary
– Wesley Snipes quickly agreed to reprise his role as Blade in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie after a call from Ryan Reynolds.
– Snipes was surprised and excited to return as Blade 20 years after his last appearance in the role.
– The Marvel Cinematic Universe plans to revive the character for an upcoming Blade movie after Deadpool discovered the Wesley Snipes variant in the Void.
Wesley Snipes reprised his role as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine, and it did not take much time for Ryan Reynolds to encourage his return. Snipes first played the vampire hunter in 1998, and he went on to return to the role for Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004). The Marvel Cinematic Universe intends to revive the character for the upcoming Blade movie, but the character’s initial return came when Deadpool discovered the Wesley Snipes variant in the Void.
It took Blade little prompting to stand beside Deadpool, and Snipes did not need much of a stronger push. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Snipes explained that he received an impromptu call from Ryan Reynolds about returning as a Blade variant. Snipes did not expect the call 20 years after concluding his time as Blade, but he readily agreed to join the cast after hearing Reynolds’ plan.
I did not think it was possible. I didn’t think we would be able to pull it off. I didn’t think that Marvel was into it, Disney was into it — also because they had Mahershala cast for the next upcoming version of it. I thought it didn’t make sense to me, but [when] you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, ‘Okay, I got to take this call. Let’s see what this is about’. He told me the idea… They said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go.’ ‘If you’re in, we’re in.’ Here we are.
In his interview, Snipes offered an in-depth look at his training process after agreeing to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because he was not ready to play Blade, he prepared his body for an action scene that he knew nothing about. He admits that he “didn’t have to do as much as I thought”, but he still needed additional support from a costume insulated by foam to help perfect his appearance. After approximately a month of training, he felt that he was in perfect shape and prepared to return.
While Deadpool & Wolverine began production during the summer, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes delayed progress until the winter. When Snipes returned to take up his role, “it was so very cold”, which made shooting “very, very tough” on the 61-year-old actor. The initial movies were not entirely suited to Snipes’ preferences either. He admitted that the original Blade was “not really my humor” and enjoyed the Deadpool take on the character more. Snipes explained that “It was enjoyable to work with” Ryan Reynolds and just as enjoyable to return to his role.
Rather than solely focusing on Deadpool & Wolverine, Snipes also spoke about Blade’s painfully slow development, arguing that it is “not the actor’s fault” and repeatedly emphasizing that Ali has “got all my blessings and support”. Snipes admits that he has not spoken with Ali about the production problems, but he believes that Ali is “a beautiful and talented artist” who is perfect for the role. Though Snipes’ Blade variant claimed that he is the only Blade, Snipes has offered nothing but support for Mahershala Ali and the upcoming Blade reboot.