Blade director Bassam Tariq has praised actor Wesley Snipes for kick-starting the modern superhero trend with his incarnation of Eric Brooks / Blade in the 1998 Blade movie.
It has been confirmed that Tariq will helm a new adaptation of Blade for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will star Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali in the title role, and the director has credited Snipes with getting "this whole ball rolling" in the superhero genre.
"What's exciting about the film that we're making is [there] hasn't been a canon for Blade, as we're reading through the comics and everything," he told IndieWire.
Related: Blade star "embarrassed" for Scarlett Johansson
"Him being a daywalker is the one thing that's been established, and you know we can't deny what Wesley Snipes did, which was he basically got this whole ball rolling.
"A Black man created the superhero world that we're in, that's just the truth. For me to now be working with somebody as talented and a juggernaut as Mahershala Ali, and the writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour, I'm just so – I'm so honored to be working with real Black juggernauts and Black talent.
"For me to just be with them in this room and listen and learn as I build this out, it's really an honor."
Blade first appeared in Marvel Comics and was then brought to life by Snipes in the 1998 movie adaptation, directed by Stephen Norrington. Blade is a half-human, half-vampire daywalker, who hunts vampires using his unique supernatural abilities and martial arts skills.
Related: Blade star opens up about Marvel reboot with Mahershala Ali
The new Marvel adaptation hasn't yet begun filming, but actor Ali has reportedly already been left impressed by director Tariq's vision for the movie. Actor Riz Ahmed, who stars in Tariq's latest movie Mogul Mowgli, revealed to IndieWire that Ali has been texting him saying: "Dude, Bassam is out of this world. He's a different kind of guy".
The Blade reboot has signed up Watchmen and PEN15 writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour to pen the script for the movie, which is due to form part of Marvel's Phase Five.
Snipes revealed earlier this year that he would be up for making an appearance in the new Blade movie, saying: "Under the right circumstances, I'm open to play with everybody".
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
