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https://blackgirlnerds.com/what-wesley-snipes-cameo-could-mean-for-blades-remake/

Most nerds remember where they were on July 20, 2019. Chaos erupted on social media when the Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at San Diego Comic Con closed things out with a bang by revealing Mahershala Ali as the next Blade following the legacy of Wesley Snipes. It was a gesture as simple as putting on a hat that displayed the new Blade logo and then boom — pitch blackness as the crowd burst into a loud choir of screams and clapping.

That was five years ago and still fans are left with nothing. The film has taken hits left and right from losing two directors (first Yann Demange, the later Bassam Tariq), to the writer’s strike in 2023, causing production delays. After facing so many setbacks, fans began to speculate whether Blade would even see the light of day.

Let’s take things back to 1998, as the beloved daywalker became the first Marvel character to grace the big screen. After making a name for himself in hits like White Men Can’t Jump, Money Train, and Demolition Man, Wesley Snipes cast as Blade made history. The franchise went on to see two additional films, the third being titled Blade Trinity, featuring Ryan Reynolds in one of his first big action roles. Twenty years later, Reynolds called on Snipes to return as the vampire slayer in Deadpool & Wolverine, leading to one of the biggest surprises of the film. The reactions on X (formerly Twitter) have mostly been positive of Snipes’ under-wraps return, reigniting the desire for more Blade, some even going as far as to hope the actor returns to the title character.

It’s important to note that while some of the most popular characters such as Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman have all seen multiple actors don the costume, there has only ever been one Blade (as Wesley Snipes said in Deadpool & Wolverine). However, since the character is quite popular and unique, it’s the studios duty to continue the journey on screen.

Enter Mahershala Ali, best known for being 2/2 in winning Oscars for his supporting roles in 2017’s Moonlight and 2019’s Green Book. He has the look as well as the talent, so it’s no doubt he would do the role justice. Snipes himself has even gone on record stating he has “great confidence” in Ali. A question of age has also been a topic of conversation, pointing to Ali being 50. Snipes was only 36 in the first installment and 42 when the trilogy came to a close.

It can be argued that 50 is too old to begin a new franchise, if that’s indeed what they were looking to do. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the older actors to play a Marvel character, but even he was only 42 when he began filming Iron Man. He was 53 when Tony Stark was last seen in Avengers: End Game. A quick search can lead you to see some have fan casted Trevante Rhodes instead of Ali, seeing how he checks off the boxes appearance and appropriate age.

Let’s shine light on why Blade needs to happen. It’s hard to ignore the excitement from fans seeing Snipes back, further putting the pressure on Marvel Studios to make the fourth film. But it’s deeper than that. Before the MCU was a thing, there was Blade. Before there were fandoms running to the theater, there was Blade. Snipes is finally being given his flowers for starting comic book adaptations of Marvel characters, and it’s well deserved.

Black Panther came along and Chadwick Boseman started a movement while bringing to life another character that had not been seen on the big screen. Young Black boys and girls everywhere were dressing up as Black Panther and Shuri, as they were not used to seeing themselves reflected in superhero movies. Black Panther was more than a movie, it was a moment in pop culture for the Black community. Box office records broke and memorabilia and toys were selling out left and right. Some argued we’d never see anything like that happen again, especially after the shocking loss of Boseman in August 2020. That energy very well can be ignited again, and Ali draping the black leather trench on could lead to just that.

All in all, despite the numerous blows the Blade facing the reboot, it is still slotted for a release date of November 7, 2025, with Ali still attached to the project. It’s clear as day that the fans want this movie to happen, and the Black community deserves it as well. Though it is highly unlikely that Snipes would return in the role for a full film, our minds definitely wandered. Kevin Feige is a man with a proven record of knowing how to do his job. He does it very well and is successful. His moves are calculated, and he ultimately gives audiences what they want. After seeing our reactions to Deadpool & Wolverine, the people have spoken: we want Blade.

The post What Wesley Snipes’ Cameo Could Mean for ‘Blade’s’ Remake appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://nerdist.com/article/the-rings-of-power-cynthia-addai-robinson-miriel-interview/

Queen Regent Mìriel chose to follow Galadriel across the sea to Middle-earth in season one of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. She led her people from Númenor to the Southlands, right into a war. Things did not go in their favor, and especially not in Mìriel’s favor. When Nerdist visited The Rings of Power season two set with a small group of reporters, we talked with Cynthia Addai-Robinson about what’s ahead for Mìriel and her kingdom.

When season two begins, how is Mìriel processing everything that happened?

Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Where do I even begin? At the end of season one, we find Mìriel in a very vulnerable position. Not only has she lost her sight, she has been defeated in battle. Many Númenórean lives were lost. Her father, the king, has passed. That’s a lot to end on. So really, season two, specifically to Mìriel and Númenor, is trying to find strength in loss. There are a lot of implications for how people feel around her taking Númenóreans into battle.

In season one, we were already starting to see divisions in [Númenórean] society. There’s a deepening of that as we continue into season two—so lots of very dramatic things. And on top of that, in season one we see Queen Regent Mìriel. It stands to reason that with the king’s passing there would be a progression of things.

What are the challenges of building and playing a character when you and the audience know the journey?

Addai-Robinson: Obviously, the meatiest roles allow you to demonstrate vulnerability and strength simultaneously. You welcome the challenge and obviously you want to give it something that feels relatable. Here we are in this fantastical Middle-earth, but a lot of the things that Mìriel is navigating, or any character in a giant genre story navigates, are things that are understandable. The passing of a loved one, civil strife—things that I think are particularly resonant right now.

It’s also a place to think on these things for myself, just as a human being. It’s a place to put those feelings. Certainly when I first started on this journey as the character of Mìriel in the midst of lockdown and an ever-changing world, it was a place that felt safe for me because I just had a swirling storm of thoughts and feelings on any given day. But what I really appreciate and love about Mìriel is that sense of integrity and strength. She’s a moral compass for her people. At the end of the day, the decisions that she’s navigating are bigger than her. It’s really about guiding her people and trying to make the best decisions and choices for society, not just for herself.

Was there anything you learned from season one that you wanted to carry with you into season two?

Addai-Robinson: Once you’ve got a first season of a series under your belt, you’ve had a lot of intensive time spent with a character, spent in a world, spent with your fellow characters and castmates. You want to approach a season two and beyond trusting in all of those things. We put a lot of work and thought and heart into making sure that we were representing this story in the most honest way that we could. A lot of us have ownership over these characters. We feel a sense of protecting them and shepherding them, not just through the story, but just out there in the world.

Mìriel developed what seemed like a friendship with Elendil in season one. What can you share about their relationship in season two?

Addai-Robinson: You’re going to see a continuation of this dynamic of two people who have both experienced profound loss and are now trying to really have that sense of, “Let us not have this loss be in vain.” It’s really an exploration of, I would say, their worldview within Middle-earth. As they’re returning to Númenor with those divisions in society and those differing worldviews, you’re going to see how the second season navigates that.

For the two of them specifically, it’s a dynamic that my lovely dear Lloyd Owen and I have enjoyed exploring. We really wanted to make sure that with these two characters, that their relationship from where it starts in season one, very unsuspectingly, and how it continues to progress through the second season, that there really is a change. These people are forever changed by their circumstances.

How did Mìriel losing her sight affect the physicality of your performance in season two?

Addai-Robinson: I was told early on that this would be something that happens to Mìriel. And in fact, I started my first day with one of the scenes where I was already blind. So it was an interesting way of working where I had to start with some of those scenes, then I jumped back to the beginning, and then jumped back to working with the blind element. The difference now is she has acclimated to this situation. There’s this sense of not wanting to have this be something that people can perceive as a weakness in her ability to lead, that there is an awareness as a leader that there’s a perception of conveying strength and representing that for your people, for society.

At the end of season one, you see Elendil and Mìriel and he’s still going to be at her side. Ultimately it’s an exploration of working with someone where it isn’t about depending on them, but they both need each other in this moment to help each other see figuratively and literally. That’s a really interesting and beautiful thing that we get to further explore as the season goes on.

But in terms of the physicality of it and returning to that place, I was mindful of, at this point, she has made it her mission to learn to move through the world in a new way. So, it isn’t about struggling through that so much as acclimating to it, if you know what I mean. That was probably true for me as well.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two premieres with three episodes on Prime Video on August 29.

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The post THE RINGS OF POWER’s Cynthia Addai-Robinson on Queen Regent Mìriel’s Season 2 Journey appeared first on Nerdist.