Marvel Studios’ Blade movie reboot has just snagged a new lead – two-time Academy Award nominated actor Mahershala Ali. The announcement that the star of Moonlight and Green Book is taking over the mantle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Daywalker was made during Marvel’s massive Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday.
Mahershala Ali joins a long list of celebrities to have donned the leather jacket, sunglasses and katana-wielding attire of Wesley Snipes’ original vampire hunter and member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For most fans, Mahershala is a welcome addition to Marvel’s stable of stars.
The news has come as a huge surprise. When Snipes first portrayed the character in 1998, it was one of the earliest breakthrough blockbuster hits featuring a single superhero. Since then, the Blade film franchise has become one of Marvel’s most successful projects, grossing $150 million in box office receipts.
Given that Mahershala Ali has had some big hits in the past few years, including Moonlight, Green Book and Hidden Figures, it looks like there’s a huge opportunity for this new Blade movie to become an even bigger box office smash.
Mahershala Ali is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood, a two-time Academy Award nominee, and an audience favorite, so it’s no surprise that he was chosen as the new Blade. His filmography, filled with serious and thoughtful roles, makes him the perfect actor to pull off the role of a half-vampire and half-human superhero who keeps the world safe from supernatural threats.
Blade is one of the few Marvel characters to have the privilege of being a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for an extended time, and with Mahershala Ali as the new lead, it looks like there’s no doubt that the franchise will continue to be as successful as ever.
