Marvel’s Blade reboot has reportedly added its latest cast member. On Thursday, a new report from The Direct revealed that The Wonder Years actress Milan Ray has been cast in the upcoming film in a key role. Ray is known for her role as Keisa Clemmons on the current reboot of The Wonder Years, as well as appearances on Modern Love, Troop Zero, and Charm City Kings. Ray would join a cast that includes Mahershala Ali as the titular daywalker, as well as Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre in currently-unknown roles.
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Of course, this report will surely lead to speculation about whether or not Ray could be portraying Blade’s daughter, a character that has been uniquely tied to the franchise for the past few years. Marvel Comics originally planned to introduce a daughter of Blade during their All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative in 2015, with Tim Seely and Logan Faerber creating a The Blade the Hunter series that would have followed Fallon Grey, a popular 16-year-old from rural Oregon who learns that she is Blade’s daughter when supernatural trouble finds its way to her rural home. The project ultimately never came to fruition, but fans remained eager to see the character introduced in some capacity, with Marvel ultimately debuting a new version of the character, Brielle / Bloodline, earlier this year.
Blade’s daughter has also been speculated about with regards to live-action, as had speculated that Fallon could be the focus of a Blade project for Marvel Studios, with original Blade actor Wesley Snipes returning as an older version of his character to mentor her. A previous casting description for the Blade reboot seemed to heavily tease Blade’s daughter, with the project seeking Ruby, a teenage girl who is “thoughtful, serious, and burdened by growing up in a complex world.”
Blade will be directed by Bassam Tariq, who previously indicated that the film will pay homage to the original canon of the Snipes-led films.
“What’s exciting about the film that we’re making is [there] hasn’t been a canon for Blade, as we’re reading through the comics and everything,” Tariq explained to IndieWire. “Him being a daywalker is the one thing that’s been established, and you know we can’t deny what Wesley Snipes did, which was he basically got this whole ball rolling. A Black man created the superhero world that we’re in, that’s just the truth. For me to now be working with somebody as talented and a juggernaut as Mahershala Ali, and the writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour, I’m just so — I’m so honored to be working with real Black juggernauts and Black talent. For me to just be with them in this room and listen and learn as I build this out, it’s really an honor.”
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Blade does not currently have a release date.
