Before Chadwick Boseman got the cat suit, actor Wesley Snipes tried to get a Black Panther movie out of development hell for the better part of the 90s and early 2000s.
Speaking with Kevin McCarthy at a recent event, Snipes shared details about his scrapped Black Panther film:
“At that time, we didn’t actually have the technology, but we would have done all the Vibranium. All the x-ray vision and virtual operation and the whole nine of it. I wanted it to be like the comic book was [with a] super city and super science. I thought, ‘Well, this would be a cool opportunity for me to do something for truly my friends. All the martial arts cats, all the cats that love Shaft.'”
Snipes was still attached to the role as late as 2004-06, before Marvel Studios started laying the foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So yeah, Snipes was hoping to be Marvel’s Blade and Black Panther at the same time. Would it have been overkill? Certainly. Would it have been entertaining nonetheless? Probably.
After Boseman signed on to play the MCU’s Black Panther, Snipes started campaigning to play Blade again for the MCU. He even went so far as to suggest that he had talks with Kevin Feige about it (talks I don’t think Feige ever confirmed). Unfortunately for Snipes, Mahershala Ali was cast as the next Blade. There always still a chance that Marvel Studios could bring Snipes aboard for a role in Black Panther II or Blade. In that case, Snipes will have to settle for a supporting role instead of the lead.
Do you think Snipes would have made a good Black Panther? Would you like to see him have a role in a future Marvel film?
