You can bet two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is already sharpening his fangs: While Marvel Studios is mum so far, the industry job listing site called Production List says his Blade reboot will get underway July 4.
The Atlanta and New Orleans-shot production will see Ali playing the fan favorite half-human, half-vampire vampire hunter, taking over the role Wesley Snipes brought to the big screen in 1998. The modestly budgeted film is credited with kick-starting the superhero craze, which continues to this day.
Snipes’ film spawned a pair of sequels: Blade 2 in 2002, starring The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus and directed by eventual Oscar winner Guerlmo del Toro, and 2004’s Blade Trinity, which also starred Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige announced Ali would be rebooting the role back in 2019; the acclaimed actor made an in-character voice-over cameo in the after credits for Eternals in 2021.
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