Mahershala Ali Thanks Marvel For “Funding” His Latest Film
In the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), few projects have endured a more troubled development than Blade.
When Marvel announced the film in 2019, it seemed like a surefire hit. The studio was riding high on the unprecedented success of Avengers: Endgame, while Mahershala Ali, who had been cast as the iconic Daywalker, had just won his second Academy Award for Green Book.
Photo: Blade
Seven years later, however, Blade has become synonymous with development woes. The film has faced multiple delays, cycled through six screenwriters, and lost two directors.
Ali Said Marvel Had Moved On
For much of that turmoil, Kevin Feige and Mahershala Ali remained publicly optimistic about the project. That changed earlier this year, however, when Ali announced that he had moved on from Blade.
Photo: Marvel Studios
“I’ve been doing this professionally for pushing 30 years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that what is for you is for you and what is not is not. For whatever reason, that project is not for me,” he said.
“If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on.”
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Shutterstock (10341985al)
Now, Ali has weighed in on the Blade fiasco again.
“I’m Done”
While Mahershala Ali and director Bassam Tariq never got to make the Blade film they spent years trying to get off the ground, they finally got the chance to collaborate on Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
During a recent interview with Deadline, Ali once again reiterated that he has no interest in playing Blade anymore.
Photo: Britannica
“I’m done. I’m doing this and anything else moving forward,” Ali told Deadline. “So yeah, I’m over that. I’m done with that.”
How ‘Blade’ Influenced ‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’
While the actor is surely disappointed that his time as the iconic Daywalker never came, the training he put in for Blade led directly to his swordfighting prowess in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Photo: IMDB
“I’m actually really grateful. They helped pay for our movie, so thank you,” he said. “Really — we couldn’t have afforded to, there’s no way we could have done this film, and I got to go train for a year.”
“So at this point, I’m so grateful that they made a wonderful contribution to our film,” he added.
Photo: Variety
While Ali will not be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Blade’s legacy lives on in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and Sinners, which reused costumes created for the film.
Whether or not a Blade reboot comes to fruition remains to be seen.
Photo: The Hollywood Reporter
What we do know is that Ali will not be portraying the Daywalker.
