There have been a lot of films before the so-called “boom” of comic book movies. One of these films is arguably one of the best films of the ’90s: Blade. Known for his films in the ’90s including New Jack City (1991) and White Men Can’t Jump (1992), Wesley Snipes became the first “cool” superhero starring as the vampire hunter Blade in 1998.
Unbeknownst to the public, Wesley Snipes had an idea for the Wakandan king in the ’90s. THR has reported that Snipes originally had a Black Panther project in mind that, unfortunately, never left the ground. According to the report, Snipes mentioned that they went thru multiple scripts and director choices, but nothing further. Despite Snipe’s efforts, Marvel Studios wasn’t as big of a franchise as it is today. It also may have been that no one was willing to take the risk of making a superhero film of the same caliber Black Panther had today.
What Snipe’s Version Could Have Been…
Marvel Studios’ version of Black Panther is being held to a high standard due to its cultural impact. And as for Black Panther, he’s someone who represents not only Africa as a whole but the African American community, as well. Snipes clearly thought of this as a personal project of his that could have been something very special. He also told THR:
“It had cultural significance, social significance. It was something that the black community and the white community hadn’t seen before.”
According to his statement, Wesley Snipes wasn’t the only one that felt this way about the project. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler similar thoughts before – and during the process of making the film. Speaking with Fandango earlier this month, Coogler shared some similar thoughts:
“There have been a lot of superhero movies made. As a comic book and superhero film fan myself, I feel like we’ve seen a lot at this point. I think that the cultural element of [Black Panther] — and how cultural specificity takes such a big role in the film — that’s what makes it quite unique. I’m excited to see more [superhero movies], but there hasn’t really been a film about a character like T’Challa before.”
It’s something special for a film of this caliber to have emotional, yet cultural meaning behind it. At the time, it seemed that Snipes just wanted to make a film that was different, but he also wanted the cultural significance and its background supporting the film. If Snipes was able to make the film in the ’90s, there’s reason to believe it would’ve had the same stakes as Coogler’s version today.
Overall, Coogler and Snipes’ ideas going into making a Black Panther film are both intriguing. Considering what this film could’ve been like in the ’90s, Snipes wouldn’t have had the same tools and support that Coogler has had with Marvel Studios. However, the fact that Snipes at least had a vision for this film, I would say it would have been worth watching.
