Blade (Mahershala Ali to Star in Marvel Reboot)

In a casting report released yesterday and reported on by Movie Beat, Marvel is gearing up an official reboot to their Vampire Action franchise, Blade. While there is no word on a director, the studio is reportedly looking at a very short-list of actors that includes Michael B. Jordan and Birth of a Nation’s Nate Parker; with relative unknowns Aml Ameen who had a small role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and Elijah Kelley from Red Tails and Hairspray. Marvel aims to start filming the movie this summer and as of this report, no mention on whether or not the movie will get an R-rating. With Marvel owned, of course, by Disney, fans are expecting a friendlier PG-13 rating.

WyldeMan wrote:If they're gonna go the reboot route at least give us a Blade with some fuckin Gravitas, or we'll have another Sticky Fingaz situation...

Rusty Cunt wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:If they're gonna go the reboot route at least give us a Blade with some fuckin Gravitas, or we'll have another Sticky Fingaz situation...

Bacdafucup!

Marvel is rebooting the “Blade” series, and has cast Mahershala Ali to star.

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige announced the news at Comic-Con on Saturday as the panel’s big ending surprise. Ali also took the stage at the announcement to massive applause, donning the Blade baseball cap.

Wesley Snipes previously played the half-vampire superhero in 1998’s “Blade” and its two sequels, “Blade II” and “Blade: Trinity.” Coincidentally, Feige was a co-producer on “Trinity.” The series focuses on the titular vigilante, a human who possesses vampire strengths and protect humans from vampires.

Ali has been on a hot streak as of late. He won his first Oscar, for best supporting actor, in 2016 for “Moonlight,” and won the same prize this year for his portrayal of Don Shirley in “Green Book.” He most recently starred in the third season of HBO’s drama series “True Detective” and appeared in “Alita: Battle Angel.”

It’s not Ali’s first foray in the superhero world. Last year, he voiced the Prowler in the animated hit “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and also played the villain Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes in the first season of the Netflix/Marvel series “Luke Cage.”

“Blade” was only one of several big announcements made at Comic-Con. Among other big news: the full cast of “The Eternals” was revealed, “Shang-Chi” found its lead in Simu Liu and Natalie Portman is rejoining the Thor franchise.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Fuck yeah! He's got the look and the voice. I could never see anyone else other than Wesley because he was perfect but this is a great choice and I can't believe I've never thought about Ali for the role. Just make it R, don't Disney it up.

WyldeMan wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:Fuck yeah! He's got the look and the voice. I could never see anyone else other than Wesley because he was perfect but this is a great choice and I can't believe I've never thought about Ali for the role. Just make it R, don't Disney it up.

The reason Snipes made the perfect Blade is the fact that he is a highly trained martial artist and very believable bad ass and that was conveyed on screen.

As far as I know, Ali is just a talented actor who's going to need a stunt man to do all the fighting scenes for him.

Rusty wrote:I agree. That's exactly why Snipes was perfect.

Unless Ali has been training in MMA for years without anyone knowing (a lot of people/celebs do do some form of BJJ), this has the makings of having Arrow-like stunt-work, or a CGI shit-show.

Wonder if we'll get a hallway fight scene?

Tyger wrote:After Trinity and time in prison there was no way Snipes was going to have any involvement in another Blade movie.

I’m good with the casting and just hoping for the best.

Tyger wrote:Of course Snipes wants to do it, what the fuck else does he have going on?

Did you not see the Expendables movie he was in? That definitely killed me wanting any more Blade out of him.

joey con carne wrote:The first movie I've ever seen with him was Chronicle. And then he did the Rocky movies, that piece of shit Cuatro Fantasticos, and La Pantera Negra. Looking at his IMDb he seems to have quite the resume but I don't know any of those works.

WyldeMan wrote:

joey con carne wrote:The first movie I've ever seen with him was Chronicle. And then he did the Rocky movies, that piece of shit Cuatro Fantasticos, and La Pantera Negra. Looking at his IMDb he seems to have quite the resume but I don't know any of those works.

I knew him from tv long before his movie career, he was on The Wire and Friday Night Lights.

Disney confirmed today Delroy Lindo is joining the cast of the upcoming Blade reboot. He’ll co-star opposite two-time Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, who is stepping into the role of the titular character, a half-vampire, half-mortal hero.

While Ali’s casting was announced at Comic-Con in 2019, Lindo is the only other actor cast in the project since, though his exact role is unclear. The film has, however, added a writer and director.

Playwright Stacy Osei-Kuffour signed on to pen the Marvel reboot. Bassam Tariq, best known for directing the Riz Ahmed film Mogul Mowgli, will helm the the new adaptation of the popular comic.

Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, Blade first appeared in the 1973 comic book The Tomb of Dracula. The human-vampire hybrid is a protector of the mortal race while slaying evil vampires. Wesley Snipes played the part in the original Blade trilogy from New Line.

Marvel’s Kevin Feige has made it his mission in recent years to diversify not only the cast appearing in front of the camera but those behind it as well, and recent hires have proven that.

Osei-Kuffour is the first Black woman to pen a Marvel movie, while Tariq marks the sixth person of color to direct a film for Marvel.

Lindo’s career spans decades, from TV roles such as Beauty & the Beast in the ’80s to parts on This Is Us and The Good Fight. In film, Lindo has been a frequent Spike Lee collaborator, appearing in Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers and Da 5 Bloods. His other prominent films include Get Shorty, The Cider House Rules, Gone in 60 Seconds and Up. The actor’s most current project is Netflix’s The Harder They Fall.