Though ‘Blade: Vampire Hunter’ barely qualifies as a superhero, the movie starring Wesley Snipes in the title role kicked off the modern movie age, preceding even Bryan Singer’s first ‘X-Men’ and spawned two sequels and a TV series.  At the time, Snipes was one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood and the film’s sleek style and electric fight choreography earned nearly universal praise.

The original movies were produced by New Line and their success led to Marvel’s recovery from bankruptcy, which eventually led to the Marvel Cinematic Universe we know today.  There has been buzz that Marvel themselves may revisit ‘Blade’ with his name popping up as a candidate for the Netflix line of darker TV series.

For his part, Snipes has expressed a desire to return to one of his most famous roles and recently tweeted a message reinforcing this:

Photo credit: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com

Of course, ‘Blade’ belongs to Marvel and whether it winds up at Marvel Studios or Marvel Entertainment (the TV division, which is the more likely possibility), that doesn’t ensure that Snipes would reprise the role.  He may still look great, but he’s now 53 years old.  The first ‘Blade’ came out in 1998, 18 years ago.  Though he might still be in good physical shape, as shown in ‘The Expendables 3’, the high-flying martial arts of ‘Blade’ might be beyond his ability at this point.

If Marvel revisited the character, it would most likely recast.  Then again, maybe Snipes would be willing to take on a less rigorous role.  (He makes a good villain!  Just one idea!)  If Marvel were smart, they’d welcome the input of someone who still so clearly loves the role and wants to be part of a reboot.

Would you like to see Snipes return as ‘Blade’?  Or do you think Marvel should go with a younger actor with Snipes in a supporting role?  Or do you think Marvel should focus on new characters and leave ‘Blade’ alone?

Source: Cinema Blend