Blade is considered by some as the first movie to really get people interested in Marvel characters. It premiered before X-Men and Spider-Man and is based around a comic book hero that hunts vampires. On the twentieth anniversary of Blade, Yahoo spoke with the film’s hero, Wesley Snipes. In the interview it was brought to the actor’s attention that his role was nearly whitewashed.
In a recent article published by Entertainment Weekly it was revealed that writer David S. Goyer was originally asked by an executive at the studio if the character could be white. He quickly shot the suggestion down. When speaking with Yahoo, Wesley Snipes expressed that he was not previously aware of the almost-whitewashing of his character. He said:
“I was not aware. I think I heard that from the article but I wasn’t aware that that was part of the history. Hollywood! Can you imagine the creative individual who thought of that?”
When asked what the movie would have been like with a white actor, Snipes responded:
“Wouldn’t be this. That’s for sure. Wouldn’t be as cool, lemme tell you that.”
I can’t imagine the whitewashing of Blade would have been welcomed by fans, considering how crucial the background is to the character.
When anyone asks “Who could be the next Blade?” 💥👋🏿 you already know there’s only one Blade fam! #Blade pic.twitter.com/LXAEo297ST
— WS (@wesleysnipes) December 23, 2017
There are no current plans for Blade to be involved in an upcoming film, but Snipes has expressed that he would be happy to return to the role if he was asked. All three movies in the Blade trilogy were a success at the box office when they were released, so we may end up seeing the character again in the future.
What do you think of the news that Blade was almost whitewashed? Let us know in the comments!