Wesley Snipes reveals his advice for new Blade actor Mahershala Ali

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From one Daywalker to another

Blade
(Image credit: New Line Cinema)

Previous Blade actor Wesley Snipes has revealed the advice he would give to new Daywalker, Mahershala Ali.

As Snipes told Yahoo, his pointers were all practical and didn’t revolve around the actual interpretation of Blade.

"Make sure you're in shape," Snipes said. "Try not to get hurt… The demands of an action movie is you've gotta be an elite athlete, and being well-conditioned to survive and to avoid injury."

Snipes added: "Enjoy it while it lasts."

For his part, Snipes said he spoke with Ali and there was no issue with him taking on the Blade mantle. He said, "I don't walk around as Blade, so I'm not attached to the character like that. I feel no emotional loss, zero, and I'm happy that he's being recast and [he] will more than likely do a great job."

Mahershala Ali, meanwhile, has made his first 'appearance' in the MCU during the second of two Eternals post-credits scenes. He let out a brief word of warning to Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman, who was about to pick up his uncle’s Ebony Sword.

It’s unclear, as of writing, how Blade will play into that story, though we do know a standalone movie is in the works.

The Blade director, Bassam Tariq, previously told IndieWire that the upcoming movie would be reverent to Wesley Snipes’ interpretation of the vampire hunter.

"We can't deny what Wesley Snipes did, which was he basically got this whole ball rolling," Tariq said.

For more on Blade – and the rest of the MCU – check out our complete guide to Marvel Phase 4.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.