FANS WANT BLADE 4 WITH WESLEY SNIPES; DISMISS FEUD RUMORS, CANCEL ALI’S BLADE
Wesley Snipes’ return as Blade happened thanks to a single phone call from Ryan Reynolds, who managed to persuade him despite rumors of a feud.
Deadpool & Wolverine was packed with unexpected cameos that took fans by surprise, with Wesley Snipes’ return as Blade standing out as one of the most thrilling. People were absolutely electrified when Snipes appeared, not realizing just how much they had missed seeing him as the iconic vampire hunter.
After two decades away from the role, Snipes’ comeback was made possible by a single call from Ryan Reynolds. This reunion of star and character was a nostalgic treat for fans who had longed for Blade’s return to the big screen.
Despite longstanding rumors of tension between the two actors dating back to the 2004 Blade: Trinity days (via IGN), Snipes not only debunked these myths but also detailed how Reynolds played a crucial role in making his return a reality. He said,
I got a call. It started with a text from Ryan Reynolds, and I saw a text that said, ‘I want to talk to you.’ I was like, ‘I hate this guy.’ We have been playing this like two decades, but we’ve actually liked each other the whole time. Anyway, he called and told me he had this idea and explained what the idea was.
I said, ‘I don’t know how you’re going to pull that off; it’s very unlikely.’ I said, ‘Well, if you make it happen, sure, I’ll come and do it.’
He then went on to say that he was initially hesitant, particularly due to the buzz around Mahershala Ali as the new Blade, a project now labeled as doomed.
Was Wesley Snipes’ ‘there can be only one Blade’ line in Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel’s way of signaling that the Mahershala Ali Blade project may never happen, given its ongoing production delays?
The upcoming Blade movie, which was announced in 2019 with Ali attached, has been stuck in development hell for ages now. Despite plans to start filming in Summer 2023, it’s been delayed by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, production issues, and scheduling conflicts. Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, which highlighted projects like Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Thunderbolts, also made no mention of the stalled Blade reboot.
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’ve 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.