Mahershala Ali confirms he has moved on from Marvel's Blade reboot
Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has stepped away from the long-delayed Blade reboot, stating that he is now shifting his focus toward original work.
Mahershala Ali confirms he has moved on from Marvel's Blade reboot
After seven years of development hell, Mahershala Ali has confirmed he is stepping away from the long-delayed Blade reboot. The two-time Oscar winner, who was announced as the lead for the project at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, told GQ
that he has moved on from the film and believes it is fully dead.
The production of the vampire-hunter reboot became a focal point of Marvel Studios' post-Avengers: Endgame struggles. Despite the anticipation surrounding Ali—who previously appeared as Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes in Luke Cage—the project remained stranded. The film was plagued by a revolving door of screenwriters and multiple director exits. Bassam Tariq was hired to direct in 2021 but stepped down weeks before filming began due to schedule shifts. Director Yann Demange also quietly exited the project. During this period, the script underwent at least six different revisions, with concepts ranging from modern-day ensembles to period-piece origins.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently admitted defeat regarding the project. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz, Feige stated he felt like a gigantic loser and a failure
for not getting the film off the ground with Ali.
Ali expressed a definitive view on why the movie failed to materialize, noting that the studio had him under contract and possesses billions of dollars.
"If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on,"
Mahershala Ali, via GQ
The actor added that he is now ready to be finished with questions regarding the project, stating that those questions are for the studio because they didn’t want to do it
. He further noted, I don't really want to be known for remakes.
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ali reflected on the professional toll of the process. He said he learned the hard way that sometimes the stars do not align and that it is necessary to recognize when it is time to move on. While he noted that he loves the character of Blade deeply and attempted to find the right narrative spine, he is now prioritizing stories that are ready to be told. He stated that he does not regret putting his heart into the effort and appreciated the support from fans.
Ali is now shifting his focus toward original work. He is currently leading the film Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, directed by Bassam Tariq and scheduled for release on September 25 via Amazon MGM Studios. Ali told GQ
interviewer Derek Lawrence that when choosing between that project and Blade, he would take the former, describing original work as something that resonates with people in unique ways.
The collapse of the Blade reboot coincides with a broader trend of cancellations across the comic book movie landscape. Within Marvel, season two of Wonder Man will not happen. Similarly, DC Studios has seen the cancellation of the Booster Gold TV series. David Jenkins, the creator of Our Flag Means Death who was attached to write the series, confirmed the project's end on Threads, specifically referencing Ali's statement as the ideal way to describe the situation.
With Ali's departure and the studio's failure to launch the reboot, the classic trilogy starring Wesley Snipes remains the definitive onscreen version of the character. The future of Blade within the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains uncertain.
