Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage; Kevin Mazur/Getty

Mahershala Aliis thrilled to have the support of one of his idols!
“So, for him to come out and say that [as] somebody I look up to so much, I sincerely appreciated that,” he later added. “So, thank you, brother.”
Later in the conversation, theMoonlightactor acknowledged another comment from Snipes where he said that Ali “has got aheck of a jobon his hands” with the role.
“I’m learning. It’s a lot of pressure, it’s a lot,” Ali said of the gargantuan task of taking on a lead superhero role in an MCU movie. “But other people have done it and survived and succeeded. So, I’m just going to try to set myself up to do the absolute best work I could do.”
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As for whether Snipes, 59, will appear in theMCU Phase V movie, the two-time Oscar winner remained tight-lipped. “I can’t talk about anything,” Ali said. “I can’t even talk. They put the hush down.”
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In 2019,it was announcedthat Ali was cast in the upcoming reboot film for the character, to be part of the current and ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. That film is currently listed in pre-production, according to IMDb.
Veteran actor Snipes came to the defense of Ali last monthon Twitter, when a user wrote that the two-time Oscar winner is going to “have a hard time outdoing” Snipes as Blade.
“He will do great,” Snipes wrote simply in response, along with a prayer hands emoji.
Earlier this year, Snipes confirmed that he was not involved in the new film. Inan interview withUproxxin July, theWhite Men Can’t Jumpstar said that he didn’t “have any involvement [in the project], but I support the young artists and I support Marvel in their business decisions.”
“It’s a beautiful thing,” he continued. “I think it’s a heck of a job. He’s got a heck of a job on his hands.”
Marvel first announced Ali — a double Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner forMoonlightin 2016 andGreen Booktwo years later — as the new Blade during the company’s panel at Comic-Con in July 2019.
source: people.com