'That’s a Movie Star' — Guillermo del Toro Credits Wesley Snipes for '100%' of Blade's Iconic Persona After Marvel Studios' Mahershala Ali Reboot Canceled

In the latest episode of the IGN30 Icons Series, Blade 2 director Guillermo del Toro revealed the reason behind Mahershala Ali's Blade movie never materializing. The primary reason, according to del Toro, is Wesley Snipes' iconic persona as Blade. Snipes, he said, brought a movie star quality to the role that is unmatched. He explained that Snipes looked at weapons and immediately identified Blade's weapon, which made him instantly perfect for the part.

Del Toro jokingly added that Snipes is essentially 100% of Blade's 'Blade-ness', while the other 50% comes down to the filmmaker's ability to articulate the vision. Del Toro studied Stephen Norrington's filming style for the first Blade movie to replicate its unique style in Blade 2. He praised Norrington's approach, which he described as extraordinary, as he studied over 40 Red Bulls a day while filming, leading him to nickname the movie his "cocaine movie".

Despite Snipes' absence, Snipes reprised his role as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine, but it seems unlikely he will return for a future Blade movie. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, however, admitted that he felt like a 'gigantic loser and failure' for not getting Ali's Blade off the ground, a sentiment that Ali agreed with.