"To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx," Snipes said in a statement given to ComicBook.com. "Although the news comes as a surprise, it's ALL GOOD. Such is the 'business' of 'entertainment!'"
"Much peace to the MCU crew – always a fan," he continued. "Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together. Most importantly to my loyal fans, the incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming. I am grateful for the never-ending support. So, 'nah fret nah worry, it's not de end of de story.' Welcome to the Daywalker Klique."
Snipes portrayed Marvel's daywalking vampire slayer in the original Blade trilogy. The success of the first Blade film began Marvel's film success and led to other comic book adaptations published by Marvel Comics.
News that Ali would be taking on Blade came about at this year's Comic-Con. However, this won't be Ali's first run with the studio. Last year, he voiced Uncle Aaron in the widely-lauded animated feature, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, and made a far-too-brief appearance as Cottonmouth in the first season of the now axed Luke Cage series.
