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Wesley Snipes Breaks His Silence on Mahershala Ali Casting in 'Blade' Reboot

Wesley Snipes has a message for fans: you need to calm down!

The 56-year-old actor reacted to news of Marvel revealing at 2019 Comic-Con that the Blade franchise would seemingly be rebooted without him.

Instead, Mahershala Ali will be taking Wesley‘s place in the role.

“To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx. 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 said in a statement to ComicBook.com.

“Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan [Lee]. 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.”

Click here to find out what else happened at 2019 Comic-Con!

READ MORE: Marvel movie schedule for 2019 and beyond

Mahershala Ali Pitched the Idea of 'Blade' Movie to Marvel!

Mahershala Ali proudly wears his Blade hat while on stage at the Marvel panel during 2019 Comic-Con on Saturday (July 20) in San Diego, Calif.

It was just announced that the 45-year-old two-time Oscar-winning actor will be playing the title character in an upcoming Blade movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained the casting choice in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes.

“We have, for years, wanted to find a new way into Blade, we love that character. We love that world. Now with Dr. Strange and the supernatural elements coming into the MCU, it felt like we could definitely start exploring that,” Kevin said.

He added, “Mahershala wanted to come in and meet with us. And when Mahershala Ali wants to meet, you take the meeting. And I think he had just come off his second Academy Award. And we were talking very polite, and he was talking about what a fan he is, and then he just cut right to it, and was like, ‘Blade.’ And we were like, ‘yes.’”