Blade: Mahershala Ali says he’s looking forward to “earning” the character

Blade‘s Mahershala Ali isn’t making any assumptions about his ability to play Marvel’s iconic Daywalker.

During a recent interview spot on Jake’s Takes for his Apple Original film Swan Song, Ali spoke about what he looks forward to exploring as the character and how he thinks it might differ from Wesley Snipe’s interpretation:

“What I look forward to is earning it,” Ali explained. “There’s an anticipation for it, excitement for it that he owns. That Mr. Snipes owns. In filling his shoes, I’m just looking to earn my place in this, and I’m excited to get going and do the work.”

Wesley Snipes recently spoke with Kevin Polowy of Yahoo! about Ali getting to play Blade, saying that he understands why Marvel chose to give the part to a different actor. “I’m cool with it. I don’t walk around as Blade, so I’m not attached to the character like that, you know? I feel no emotional loss. Zero. I’m happy that he’s been cast, and more than likely he’ll do a great job,” Snipes said, encouragingly.

Snipes also shared a bit of advice he gave to Ali about taking on such a physically-demanding role:

“Make sure you’re in shape, man. Make sure you’re in shape. Try not to get hurt. That’s big. The demands of action movies, you gotta be an elite athlete and be well-conditioned to survive it and to avoid injury. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Marvel’s Blade is set to be directed by Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) based on a script written by Stacy Osei-Kuffour (HBO’s Watchmen). Recently it was reported by THR that Delroy Lindo (The Harder They Fall, Crooklyn) is in talks to join the cast, though his potential role remains a mystery for now. Production for Blade is expected to kick off in late Summer 2022, with Ali saying that he’s already in the “very early stages” of getting ready to play the character.

Spoilers for Marvel’s Eternals incoming

Many MCU fans already know that Blade made his off-camera debut during the final post-credits scene of Chloe Zhao’s Eternals. The scene found Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) opening an ancient family chest that contained the Ebony Blade. As he prepares himself to touch it, he’s interrupted by the voice of someone from off-camera who says, “Sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” That person was Blade.

Are you excited to see Mahershala Ali’s version of Blade on the big screen? Who else would you cast in the upcoming MCU vampire adventure? Could Lindo be playing a new interpretation of Whistler? Let’s hear your predictions in the comments section below.