by Daniel Johnson
August 5, 2024
Snipes took home the record of ‘Longest Gap Between Character Appearances in Marvel Films.’
Following the reprisal of his role as Eric Brooks, otherwise known as Blade, 62-year-old Wesley Snipes set two Guinness World Records. When Deadpool & Wolverine was released, it had been 26 years since Snipes first donned the costume which gave him the record for “Longest Career as a Live-Action Marvel Character.”
According to Deadline, Snipes also took home the record of “Longest Gap Between Character Appearances in Marvel Films,” clocking in at more than 19 years after his last appearance in 2004’s Blade: Trinity.
Reynolds, who also appeared alongside Snipes in the 2004 film, personally reached out to him about potentially making an appearance in the film. Snipes told Entertainment Weekly that he was unsure if it would happen.
“I didn’t think he would be able to pull it off,” Snipes said. “I didn’t think that Marvel was into it. Disney was into it. And also because they had Mahershala [Ali], you know, cast for the next upcoming version of it. So, it didn’t make sense to me.”
Snipes continued, “I thought it didn’t make sense to me, but [when]you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, ‘OK, I got to take this call. Let’s see what this is about.’ He told me the idea…They said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go.’ ‘If you’re in, we’re in.’ Here we are.”
Snipes also discussed the growth of Reynolds with EW, saying that he enjoyed revisiting the character that is credited with birthing (or saving) the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Some of the things he did back in those days, that’s not really my humor,” Snipes said. “I’m not tuned in that way. So I thought, ‘Well, it’s a little over the top for me.’ But seeing him do it in this context made a lot of sense. And seeing him do it and do it well, Ryan does something that most people can’t do. He’s unique in that way, and he’s found a fantastic niche for himself doing what he does. Deadpool is Ryan Reynolds all day long. So it was enjoyable. It was enjoyable to work with him. It was enjoyable to revisit.”
Snipes also responded to the news on Twitter/X, writing a post captioned “Whuuuut?! Really? Do I get a certificate too? Lordy Lordy Lordy…Thank you @GWR, I’m your fan!”
Snipes also told EW that he was not in Blade-shape and had to work out for a month to feel like he was ready to reprise his role.
“I wasn’t Blade ready, man. I don’t walk around as Blade every day, you know what I mean? With a trench coat and shades and fangs in my mouth. We had to work out,” Snipes said. “We definitely had to get the body, and my biggest concern was being in condition enough to deal with whatever the action was. They didn’t really tell me what the action was going to be, so I prepared for whatever that was going to come. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do as much as I thought I would because the action movies are tough.”
Snipes continued, “They’re not easy at all by any means. About a month into it, I got the body right… and then, with the help of a little customized foam well placed in certain areas, it was all good to go, baby. Let’s ride!”
RELATED CONTENT: Mahershala Ali is ‘Humbled and So Encouraged By’ Wesley Snipes Saying He ‘Will Do Great’ as Blade
