In an age when superheroes are rebooted, reimagined, and sometimes slotted into release dates, Blade stands out like a sore thumb. And no one sounds more puzzled or politely annoyed about it than Mahershala Ali.
The two-time Oscar winner didn't mince words when asked about the long-in-limbo reboot of Blade at the Jurassic World: Dominion premiere in New York. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ali confirmed what many fans have been worried about: he still is completely in the dark about what's happening with the project.
"I'm just kind a going day by day. I'm doing the best work I can," he added with a sigh of acceptance. "I love for Blade to happen. We'll see; I don't know where Marvel is at this point. I'm just looking for the next great part, I really am."
And here's the twist: Blade was supposed to be that significant part. First announced amid much fanfare at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, Ali's casting seemed like a brash, fresh step. Do you mean the torch went from Wesley Snipes to one of the most revered actors of his generation? It was a reboot with bite.
The directors arrived and left first, followed by Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange. According to rumors, cast members bailed on the project. The production had been bubbling with potential before slowly cooling. And then, in October 2023, Marvel did the unimaginable: They removed Blade from their release calendar entirely.
In another conversation with Variety, he said he's not cashing out. "Call Marvel. I'm totally game," he added, half in jest. And to show he's ready, he's been sharpening his skills so far. And prepping for his role in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, Ali got to do a little bit of sword training, and he conceded that it scratched the "stunts itch" he's had simmering ever since Blade went silent.
The wait is even more bittersweet for true believers of the original trilogy. Wesley Snipes's Blade movies (1998–2004) helped usher in the modern superhero movie age. His surprise cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine was reinvigorating and served as a reminder of how bad-ass a vampire-thwarting daywalker can be.
Even Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has maintained that the reboot is still part of the plan after saying at D23 in Orlando last fall that the company is "committed" to the project. But, you know, words don't slay vampires, they say, and they certainly don't shoot movies.
Mahershala Ali must prepare to wait, and so must we six years after the announcement, with no single stake in the ground. Ali isn't backing down. And neither should we. It should be as sharp as the man playing him when we finally get our next taste of Blade.
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