Wesley Snipes Just Broke Two Guinness World Records For The Coolest Reason

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 6, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 6, 2024 |

Casting is hard! It’s not just about finding the best actor for the job (and hell, there are plenty of times when that part is seemingly hard as well). You have to find someone who will fit well with the rest of the cast and crew. It’s best to cast an actor who not only fits the look but the vibe of the character they are playing. Then, you have to account for not only the expectations of the director and writer, but in some cases, fans will have opinions.

If you can’t tell already, I’m segueing into comic book movies. Plenty of genres have to deal with rabid fans, but comic book fans currently have that market cornered. They’ve had it cornered for quite some time! It’s astounding to see Michael Keaton get praise for his take on Batman to this day. Not because he doesn’t deserve it! He excels as the Caped Crusader. Praise of Keaton astounds because people lost their minds when he was originally cast. They couldn’t believe that Mr. Mom would be the Dark Knight.

Many expert casting choices were lamented by fans who refused to think outside their biases. What’s more rare is when an actor is cast in a comic book role and receives little to no complaints. I would say “zero complaints,” but I’m sure someone could find something. Regardless! There are occasions when an actor is cast in a comic book role and is praised from announcement to production and long after that. You clicked on the link. You know who I’m talking about.

Wesley Snipes as Blade is one of the best casting choices in comic book movie history. It’s only not the best because Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was both an inspired choice and launched a franchise on the back of a then B-Level (at best) character (and that’s the only MCU character he’ll play. Right?). But Snipes as Blade came at a time when movie theaters weren’t being choked to death by rubbery tights and CG capes. It was long ago, in the year of our lord 1998.

Wesley Snipes played the titular vampire hunter two more times after his late-’90s debut; Once in 2002 and again in 2004. That was twenty years ago! Still, people continue to marvel (nailed it) at Snipes’s Blade. They’ve been clamoring for a chance to see him reprise the role, especially with the development Hell Mahershalla Ali’s Blade film has been stuck in. Well, dammit, they got their chance.

Wesley Snipes returns as Blade in the R-rated smash Deadpool And Wolverine. He joins several other FOX-era Marvel movie stars in assisting the eponymous characters. Seeing Snipes dust off his fangs and slice through people with katanas again was a welcome sight. It also comes after the Major League star joked about the MCU’s Blade troubles just last month. Not only was Snipes’s return as Blade fantastic, but it was also record-setting.

As I had mentioned, Snipes has played Blade since 1998. Now with his most recent appearance, he has set a record Longest Career as a Live-Action Marvel Character. His cameo actually kept Hugh Jackman from earning the achievement. Snipes also set a record for the Longest Gap Between Character Appearances in Marvel Films. The record was previously held by Alfred Molina.

Wesley Snipes’s career as an onscreen superhero had already been cemented into legend. Now, he’ll be in those cool, lenticular-covered books for all to see! I assume that’s how they still keep track.