Wesley Snipes, in his first appearance as Blade in 20 years on the big screen in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” says: “There is only one Blade. There is always only one sword,” he says. Marvel Studios is currently working on rebooting the franchise and the project has suffered some setbacks. So for now, there's precisely one actor to play Daywalker on the big screen, and that's Snipes. If things had been reversed, we might now have a different actor associated with the Marvel Comics antihero. That actor? Denzel Washington.
In a 2018 oral history commemorating the 20th anniversary of the entertainment weekly “Blade,” screenwriter David S. Goyer explained that at this stage New Line Cinema Studios was having trouble understanding the concept. “At one point the [studio] Come to us and say, 'Can the plate be white?' And I said 'Of course not.' It's terrible. You can't do that,'” Goyer recalled. To decide on a black actor, the head of the studio presented three options. For an assistant:
“[New Line studio head] Mike DeLuca said, “I'll make $40 million if you can get Denzel Washington, $35 if you can get Wesley Snipes, $20 if you can get Laurence Fishburne.” And so it was. We love Wesley.
The following year, Fishbourne played Morbius in “The Matrix,” one of the biggest R-rated hits up to that point. At the time, Washington was on a roll. In the decade before “Blade” went into production, his credits included “Glory,” “Malcolm X,” “The Pelican Brief,” “Philadelphia,” “Crimson Tide” and “Courage Under Fire.” Therefore, it was seen as the best financial bet.
Wesley Snipes made history with Blade
Finally, Snipes, coming off films like “Demolition Man” and “US Marshals,” headlined the R-rated Marvel Comics adaptation. Marvel had never been associated with the blockbuster until then. A lot has changed since 1998, but it's important to remember that it was far from a sure thing. Still, director Stephen Norrington's “Blade” grossed $131 million worldwide, paving the way for the entire trilogy. More than that, it proved the Marvel brand was worth it, paving the way for big hits like “X-Men” and “Spider-Man.”
What would comic book movie history be like if Washington had played Blade? It's hard to say, but it's hard to even imagine an actor of Washington's caliber doing anything without shying away from doing great work in the role. Blade, however, became Snipes' calling card and carved out his own little cinematic history. In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” this character is also responsible for the most crowd-pleasing moment. It is now the most successful R-rated movie. It's no small thing. In the same EW article, Snipes reflected on his time with the character and revealed that, in some ways, being associated with the franchise was better than winning an Oscar:
“I'm proud of 'Blade.' I am grateful to have had an incredible opportunity that is now considered part of urban iconography and we have learned a lot about the business. When you think about it, how many people have won an Oscar and generations of people do research, remember. and I appreciate it, can I take? Oscar for a vampire karate fighter, that's incredible… [Laughs]”
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is now available on VOD, with Blu-ray/DVD available for pre-order on Amazon.
