Blade 1998: Every Actor Considered (Besides Wesley Snipes)
Wesley Snipes' iconic Blade Performance defined Marvel's "Daywalker" for a generation, but which other actors were considered for the role in 1998? Stephen Norrington's Blade is widely acclaimed as the first successful Marvel superhero movie, which laid the foundation for the MCU's rampant success in contemporary culture some 24 years later. Much of this success is owed to the passion and innovation of Wesley Snipes, who also served as producer on Blade in addition to portraying the vampiric antihero.
Entertainment Weekly's oral history of Blade celebrates the movie's 20th anniversary and offers a fascinating insight into the behind-the-scenes creation of Norrington's film. These previously untold tales include how Norrington orchestrated the iconic «Blood Rave» opening scene, New Line purchasing the rights to Blade from a bankrupt Marvel in 1996, and David Fincher being touted to direct Blade before Norrington took over proceedings.
Related: How Marvel Should Make The MCU Blade Movie
Yet perhaps the most interesting piece of information to arise from Blade's oral history is which other actors were considered to play the iconic Daywalker in 1998. While it is hard to imagine anyone but Wesley Snipes hunting the vampiric elite, two other big names were originally in the frame to play Blade, each with their own attached budget. As a result, here's every actor considered for the role of Blade in 1998, as well as why Wesley Snipes was still the best choice by the studio at the time.
Then-New Line Studio head Mike DeLuca told the Blade production team he would make their movie for $40 million — provided they could get Denzel Washington on board in 1996. It is unsurprising Washington topped several New Line executive's lists to
Read more on screenrant.com
