Wesley Snipes is okay with the fact that he won't play the latest iteration of Blade and y'all should be, too. At least, that's the word from the actor who personified the half-vamp, half-mortal vampire hunter across Marvel's succesful original franchise.
Certain vocal fans were a little upset that Marvel chose 45-year-old Mahershala Ali to play the daywalker in their cinematic universe, but 56-year-old Snipes seemed excited about seeing what the actor can do with the character he made famous.
"To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx," he said in the statement given to Comicbook.com. "Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL good. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew - always a fan."
Marvel head Kevin Feige called the ability to cast the Oscar-winning Ali as Blade "a dream." He added that the decision to pull Ali in came from the actor's fandom of the character, saying that he was called by Ali about the part.
"When Mahershala calls, you answer," Feige said of the Luke Cage alum.
Snipes seems to have the same sort of respect for the Green Book actor. He gave his regards to Ali, saying that he'd like to work together at some point and paid tribute to the late Stan Lee and his own fans.
"Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together," he said. "Most importantly to my loyal fans, the incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming. I am grateful for the never-ending support. So, ‘nah fret nah worry, it’s not de end of de story.’ Welcome to the Daywalker Klique."
