CELEBRITY

Mahershala Ali Set to Star as ‘Blade’ in the Marvel Film

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At San Diego Comic-Con, the Marvel Studios panel announced Mahershala Ali as the new Blade. 

Wesley Snipes previously played the half-human and vampire killer for New Line Cinema in three films. After the studio decided not to produce any more Blade films, the rights went to Marvel and opened the character up to collaborate with other characters like Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel in the Marvel universe. The film doesn’t yet have a release date. Even though Ali acted as the villain Cottonmouth in the Marvel Netflix series Luke Cage, his casting as Blade shows that the Marvel Netflix shows don’t affect the big-screen universe. Producer Kevin Feige wants to give better cinematic treatment to the film Blade and this shows Marvel’s push to include more minorities and give non-white actors a leading role in their movies. Choosing two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali also shows a commitment to preserving quality in their films given his well-developed acting talent.

Fans of the Blade films and Comic-Con attendees reacted with excitement, as well as Ali, to his casting and he should prove to do very well in his newfound role.