Did Wesley Snipes and Ryan Reynolds not get along on Blade Trinity? Details explored

If it weren't for the early Wesley Snipes' Blade films, then the current era of Marvel movies would have been very different. The early 2000s were defined by Blade, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, and the X-Men films. However, it all started thanks to Wesley Snipes playing the iconic vampire hunter based on the Marvel character of the same name.

While the original 1998 horror action movie turned out to be a huge success, it spawned two sequels - Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004). However, the third installment didn't do well upon release. While the negative reception did kill the franchise for a good bit, it was also quite known for behind-the-scenes issues that plagued the production.

The set of Blade: Trinity saw Wesley Snipes and director-writer David Goyer go through quite the feud with the actor also suing him in 2005. Aside from that, the actor reportedly didn't get along well with Ryan Reynolds on set, who starred as Hannibal King in the film.

Snipes was allegedly unhappy during the production as he felt that his screen time was cut in favor of Reynolds. He wasn't a fan of his improvisational humor and this caused some huge friction on set as well. Moreover, actor Patton Oswalt (who played Hedges) talked about it during an interview with A.V. Club on November 19, 2012. He shared:

"A lot of the lines that Ryan Reynolds has were just a result of Wesley not being there. We would all just think of things for him to say and then cut to Wesley’s face not doing anything because that’s all we could get from him. It was kind of funny."

Oswalt added:

"That was an example of a very troubled shoot that we made fun."

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Wesley Snipes and Ryan Reynolds' feud explored

The Blade: Trinity set became notorious for its behind-the-scenes troubles - from Snipes feuding with Goyer to not even interacting with the cast. The bad blood on the set reportedly stemmed from the lead actor being unhappy with the script and the director's choice.

Moreover, Wesley Snipes refused to open his eyes for one scene. Later on, his eyes were made open through the use of CGI, as Goyer revealed in the movie's DVD commentary review by A.V. Club. At the time, it was largely believed that Snipes didn't get along with Ryan Reynolds as well on the set. This was also because Snipes didn't enjoy Reynolds' improvisational humor much.

The feud was also hinted at by Reynolds in an interview he had with IGN back on December 8, 2004.

"There's a moment in the movie where I look up at Jessica and I swear to God, I didn't even know the cameras were rolling anymore and I say, 'He hates me, doesn't he?' And she's like, 'Yeah.'" Reynolds said .

However, Reynolds stated that he still respected Wesley Snipes' method approach to the character. But things did eventually work out between the two of them as Snipes returned as Blade for Deadpool & Wolverine.

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Deadpool & Wolverine sees Snipes return as Blade

Deadpool & Wolverine released in the cinemas on July 26, 2024. Snipes returned as Blade for a supporting role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film and was also referred to as a "friend" by Reynolds this week at San Diego Comic-Con.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on July 26, Snipes said that he thought his comeback wasn't possible until he got a call from Reynolds.

"I thought it didn't make sense to me, but [when] you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, 'Okay, I got to take this call. Let's see what this is about. He told me the idea... They said 'yes' and 'it's a go.' 'If you're in, we're in.' Here we are," Snipes said.

Wesley Snipes' return as Blade was one of the biggest surprises of the film. His performance heaped praises from netizens.

Fans can check out Deadpool & Wolverine in theaters right now.