Mahershala Ali Says He’s “Ready” for BLADE, But Marvel Doesn’t Seem to Be
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Blade reboot continues to limp through development hell, and Mahershala Ali’s latest update doesn’t exactly scream progress. While attending the Jurassic World: Rebirth premiere, Ali was asked where things stand with Blade. His response?
“Call Marvel. I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready.”
Ali hasn’t given up on playing the Daywalker, but it sure sounds like Marvel Studios has put Blade on the backburner, if it’s even on the stove at all.
This is the same project that was first announced with major fanfare back at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. Kevin Feige brought Ali onstage to a thunderous response, and yet here we are, six years later, with little more than a voice cameo in Eternals to show for it.
During that same stretch of time, Deadpool & Wolverine managed to pull off what many assumed would never happen by bringing Wesley Snipes back as Blade in the multiverse chaos of 2024.
That surprise cameo landed well with fans, and now Ryan Reynolds has floated the idea of a true send-off film for Snipes. At this point, that may feel more tangible than Ali’s version.
Even behind the scenes, there’s been a steady unraveling. Delroy Lindo, who was once cast in the Blade reboot, confirmed that he’s no longer involved, and he’s clearly disappointed. While he didn’t say who he was meant to play, he did reveal how promising the early vision for the film was:
“When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input. And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive.
It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails.”
He went on to describe a complex character with deep ideological roots:
“There was a Marcus Garvey-esque component to who this man was shaping up to be. I’m not saying that it would’ve been an out-and-out Garvey-ite. Not that, but just in terms of how this man’s philosophy, his ethos, and what was driving him.
He was a character who had, very similar to Sinners, created a community, a Black community. He was a character who was the head of this community.”
That sounds like the kind of interesting and layered storytelling Blade deserves. And yet, Marvel has let it fizzle.
Ali is still on board, and still willing to don the trench coat and katana. But as each year ticks by, and as Marvel continues to reshuffle its priorities, it’s hard not to wonder whether Blade is slipping further from reality. If Marvel doesn’t move soon, they risk losing not just their Daywalker, but the audience’s patience too.