Mahershala Ali Responds To Wesley Snipes' Comment On 'Blade' Casting

As the excitement continues to build up in anticipation for the release of the "Blade" reboot starring Mahershala Ali, the original actor Wesley Snipes has been vocal about his support.

Snipes played the character in the first film, released in 1998, and the subsequent hit sequels, in 2002 and 2004.

In a recent interview, the new star spoke up in response to Snipes' comments on his casting for the role.

On Tuesday, December 7, Ali appeared on "The Breakfast Club" to show how over the moon he is about Snipes' trust and praises over his new role as Blade. 

In a previous interview, the "Coming 2 America" actor said Ali would star greatly as the iconic half-human and half-vampire superhero.

The 47-year-old told the show's hosts that he was humbled and encouraged because Snipes did not have to say those kind words.

Being someone he looks up to a lot, Ali is full of appreciation for the inspiring fellow actor. He publicly expressed his gratitude, saying, "thank you, brother."

The "Green Book" actor also addressed Snipes' prior statement that he "has got a heck of a job on his hands" with the Marvel superhero character.

Ali responded that he is learning, but "it's a lot of pressure" to do justice as a new member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Nevertheless, the "Moonlight" actor remains courageous, buttressing that others have done such roles, survived, and succeeded. So he will try to prepare himself to do "the absolute best work."

Snipes is entirely on board with passing the mantle of the "Blade" character to Ali. He also highlighted some factors to be considered for the film to be a hit. 

The Blast shared that Snipes notified ET of being a thousand percent in support of Ali's casting and full of anticipation of how he and the Marvel Cinematic Universe will spin his legacy.

The 59-year-old echoed his opinions in November. He believes the "Swan Song" actor will excel but explained that the audience determines a movie's greatness.

Snipes is curious to observe how viewers react to the unreleased production. He is hopeful that they will be clapping and yelling like they were with his trilogy.

Marvel broke the big news that Ali will play the iconic half-vampire half-human superhero at San Diego's Comic-Con event back in July 2019.

The Blast revealed that this announcement came on Comic-Con Day 3 as part of Marvel's films for phase 4. There is currently no release date for Marvel's first "Blade" blockbuster.

At the end of the panel where the studio announced their plans for their forthcoming movies, Marvel's president Kevin Feige introduced Ali, who appeared and wore the Blade cap.

This unexpected move by Feige and Ali left the audience flabbergasted and unable to contain their excitement as they await the release date.