Fans rejoice as Blade reboot set to be R-rated

Don't worry, folks, Mahershala Ali will have the opportunity to cause as much mayhem as Wesley Snipes did as the former's version of Blade will be R-rated.

The character of Blade will enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Ali set to play the vampire Hunter. We have already seen a cameo of sorts from Blade, as Ali's voice could be heard in a post-credits scene at the conclusion of The Eternals.

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This comes after Snipes played the Daywalker to acclaim in Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity.

There were concerns among some fans that the character of Blade might be diluted by Marvel potentially giving the new movie a softer rating to appeal to a broader audience.

But, director Yann Demange has confirmed it will be for mature audiences.

“They gave me the R, which is so important,” he told Deadline.

"For Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor. I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen.”

In September of last year, previous director Bassam Tariq left the project with just one month to go until filming, which was subsequently postponed anyway due to the actor and writer strikes in 2023.

Demange was then hired, though filming is yet to begin.

Mahershala Ali as Blade

Blade was previously portrayed by Snipes in the original trilogy. The first movie, released in 1998, has been credited with helping Marvel kick off their path towards domination of the superhero genre.

Marvel executive producer Kevin Feige previously revealed that Ali personally called him and asked to play Blade after winning an Oscar for Green Book.