Fans know Wesley Snipes from Stephen Norrington’s Blade movie, playing the character of a half-human, half-vampire. Imagine if he starred and became known in a different project, say, Star Trek? Yes, the actor almost joined the science fiction franchise in the ‘80s!
He almost played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a 1987 television series that ran for seven seasons. The role ultimately went to LeVar Burton, and Snipes thinks his fellow was a great choice for the part.
Wesley Snipes confirmed he almost joined Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation held an audition where Wesley Snipes tried to test his luck. Unfortunately, he lost the role of Geordi La Forge to LeVar Burton, and he was initially devastated about it. While speaking with Collider, the Blade star shared:
Yes, that is true. I think that was in the eighties. Yeah. And was disappointed that I didn’t get it. Not as disappointed as I was not getting the role in the first Coming To America, but that actually turned out pretty good.
It’s so intriguing to see Snipes play the coveted part, but he believes the decision not to hire him worked wonders for the actor and the franchise. Had Snipes joined the show, he would have been seen more on television than on the big screen, and he would never have had the opportunity to star in the blockbuster movies that he did over the past years.
This consoles Snipes as much as fans who are also disappointed he did not snag the role. He was close to winning it, but he thinks Burton did a great job and made the role very famous. “I applaud him, my friend, great and wonderful,” Snipes said of his fellow actor.
As to why Snipes was rejected for the role, it remains a mystery, but the Star Trek: The Next Generation Writers’/Directors’ Guide originally wrote La Forge as an “away mission regular,” and his specialty aboard the Enterprise was a “starship school for children.” Burton has a more relaxed demeanor compared to Snipes’ very energetic spirit, which could have been a factor in choosing the most suitable actor for the part.
Burton embraced his role and admitted that he felt a responsibility to take care of the franchise, so fans were still happy that he was the one who played La Forge.
Wesley Snipes hoped to return as Blade
Snipes may not have become part of the Star Trek franchise, one of the biggest popular titles in Hollywood, but he led the Blade movies which catapulted him to immense fame. With the news of a reboot starring Mahershala Ali, Snipes said he was a bit disheartened.
The actor wanted to reprise the role and even had discussions with the Marvel boss about possibly playing the part again. He thought that if the studio would not want to rock with him, it would be fine.
He may have lost the Star Trek role and won’t return as Blade in the MCU reboot, but hopefully, Snipes will find another project that will perfectly complement his talent.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is currently available to watch on Paramount+.
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