Wesley Snipes, the actor perhaps most widely known for starring as vampire hunter Blade, is ready to unsheath a new chapter in his Hollywood career, signing with Independent Artist Group for representation.
The actor and martial artist, who reprised his Blade role to the delight of fans in this summer’s $1.3 billion-grossing Deadpool & Wolverine, has an acting career that spans over three decades and reaches across genres. The actor gained notices for his 1990s work in dramas such as Jungle Fever, his influential crime movie New Jack City, comedic fare such as To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, and action flicks Demolition Man and Passenger 57.
Blade seemed like an innocuous action thriller when it was released in 1998 but the movie, exuding tough attitude and replete with one-liners, launched a trilogy that has gained in stature and influence since the final installment came out in 2004. When Snipes made his surprise appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences whooped and hollered.
The actor moved into indie actioners in the 2000s and tried to spotlight a budding film industry in developmental countries but did resurface in movies such as The Expendables 3 and Eddie Murphy’s Dolemite Is My Name and Coming 2 America, as well as the Kevin Hart mini-series True Story. IAG hopes to build on the rising momentum.
Snipes has ridden an entrepreneurial track alongside his acting career and is actively incubating several ventures in the tech space, including a mobile platform. IAG will work with the actor to supercharge those initiatives.
The signing of Snipes continues IAG’s sweep of big-name and iconic talent that are getting second acts. Regina Hall, Sharon Stone, Nathalie Emmanuel, Maria Bello, William H Macy, Ken Jeong, Marsha Gay Harden and director John Woo are among those that the scrappy agency has signed in the last few years.
English (US) ·