The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that The Harder They Fall and Da 5 Bloods star Delroy Lindo is in final talks to join the cast of Marvel Studios' Blade movie.
There's no word on who the actor will play at this point, but we'd be willing to bet that he's been cast as Jamal Afari. In the comic books, he was the man who raised and taught the vampire hunter everything he knows about killing bloodsuckers. In both film and television, the character has been whitewashed and reimagined as Abraham Whistler.
Afari has a history with Dracula, and grew up on the streets of Harlem. It would be great to see the character brought to the big screen, and this is a stellar piece of casting on Marvel Studios' part. Known for movies like Malcolm X, Get Shorty, and Gone in 60 Seconds, the veteran actor has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years thanks to the movies mentioned above.
Lindo becomes only the second actor to join Blade after leading man Mahershala Ali. The Daywalker has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though we did hear his voice in Eternals.
According to the trade's sources, shooting is expected to begin late next summer. As of right now, Blade doesn't have a release date, though we're expecting to be watching this one in theaters in 2023.
Keep checking back here for updates on Blade!