It’s no secret that Wesley Snipes wanted to keep playing Eric Brooks forever. Yet when Marvel Studios decided to go in a different direction by casting Mahershala Ali in the upcoming Blade reboot, the actor remained classy. Still, he couldn’t resist but quoting his beloved character one last time in a tweet this afternoon:
“VAMPIRE BREAKING NEWS! Message from THE DAYWALKER… Hey MCU, Haven’t we been down this road before? Aye yah, some motherf—ers are always trying to ice skate uphill ….hahaha. #daywalkerklique”
The message was unsurprisingly met with many positive responses from fans who, while excited about the prospect of Ali taking over the reigns, wish the 56-year-old could portray the iconic superhero one last time. The good news is that Snipes may not be gone from the franchise forever. There are reports that Marvel’s been discussing giving him a role in the movie. While the potential part isn’t likely to be a big one, viewers who love the original trilogy will take anything they can get.
Ali was able to secure the role mainly because he wanted to. Shortly after winning his second Oscar, the acclaimed performer picked up the phone and made the long-awaited Blade reboot happen. Marvel couldn’t pass up on such a talent headlining the popular series, which is why they immediately started working on getting this done as soon as the call ended.
Wresting the role away from Snipes wasn’t as tough a decision as some might think, either. Given his controversial past, Disney felt that the best way to revive the franchise in this day and age was to recast the protagonist.
It remains to be seen if Snipes still has a place in the Blade universe going forward. If not though, fans will always remember him as the original Eric Brooks. All comic book movies owe a lot to the man who helped launch the hit series.