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Blade adds Delroy Lindo to MCU movie

The Harder They Fall star Delroy Lindo is reportedly set to hang up his cowboy hat and join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Delroy and Blade

The Harder They Fall star Delroy Lindo is reportedly set to hang up his cowboy hat and don a cape as he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lindo is in final negotiations to join Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot.

It bears mentioning that Marvel Studios hasn’t confirmed the news officially, and deals fall through all the time, so take this news with a pinch of salt for now. We also don’t know who Lindo will be playing in the upcoming Marvel Phase 4 action movie. Were we to enter the mythical realm of speculation and fan-casting, though, there’s a clear role Lindo would be perfect for.

His gravitas would make Lindo a fantastic Jamal Afari – Blade’s grizzled vampire hunting mentor. Fans of Wesley Snipes’ trilogy of Blade films are probably more familiar with his mentor Whistler. However, that character was actually based on Jamal. Screenwriter David S. Goyer originally wrote Jamal into Snipes’ Blade film, but when Kris Kristofferson was cast in the role, he renamed him Abraham Whistler.

In the original Blade trilogy, Whistler character serves as the vampire hunter’s weapons master and confidant. He also developed the serum that curbs Blade’s bloodthirst and stops the half-vampire from going on a rampage. We imagine these parts of his story might be transplanted onto Lindo’s Jamal Afari.

Directed by Bassam Tariq, the man behind the incredible drama movie Mogul Mowgli, and written by Stacy Osei-Kuffour – who’s best known for penning the Watchmen TV series – Blade will take the MCU deeper into the world of the supernatural.

While the character hasn’t made their MCU debut yet, he did technically appear at the end of Eternals in a voice cameo. During the short post-credit sting Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) goes to pick up his family’s cursed sword, but as he does, Blade can be heard asking Dane if he’s ready.

Blade is expected to start shooting summer next year. While we wait for the Marvel monster movie, why not check out our guide on how to watch the X-Men movies in order.