Mahershala Ali is stepping into big shoes for his role as Blade in the upcoming Marvel Studios film. The previous actor to do so, Wesley Snipes, recently stated that he thinks Ali will do great taking up the mantle. And now, Ali has responded to Snipes’ words of encouragement.
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“Man, you know, [I’m] humbled and so encouraged by that,” Ali said during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club when he was asked about Snipes’ comments that he would do great as Blade. “Because he didn’t have to say that. Wasn’t nobody really asking him like that. So for him to come out and say that, somebody I look up to so much, I sincerely appreciated that. So thank you, brother.”
The conversation then quickly turned to the possibility of Snipes somehow appearing in the upcoming film, especially with multiverses being the current rage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ali was quick to deflect, though, and said he couldn’t talk about any of that. “I can’t talk about anything,” Ali said. “I can’t even talk. They put the hush down. Yeah, I really can’t talk about anything.”
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Ali recently made his first technical appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a voice-only appearance in Marvel’s Eternals. Speaking on the upcoming Blade film in past interviews, Ali also recently noted that they were “getting close” on the outfit and preparation for the film.
RELATED: Wesley Snipes Lends Support to Mahershala Ali Playing Blade
The Blade trilogy from New Line Cinema that started in 1998 helped shepherd comic books and superheroes to the big screen. The three films collectively brought in over $400 million at the global box office. Blade was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan as a supporting character in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 in July of 1973.
