Mahershala Ali has reaffirmed what he previously made clear about Marvel’s long-delayed Blade: he has moved on.

Speaking to Deadline, the two-time Oscar winner was blunt when the cancelled project came up again, saying, “I’m done with that.” The comment echoes what Ali had already suggested in an earlier GQ interview, but this time there was little room for interpretation.

At this point, the bigger question is no longer whether Ali still wants to play Blade. It is how Marvel spent seven years attached to one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actors and still failed to get the film made.

Ali was announced as the MCU’s new Blade in 2019. Seven years later, there is still no finished movie. That is Marvel’s failure, not his.

Marvel Had Everything It Needed

A new Blade should have been a straightforward win. The character already had a successful film history. Marvel had one of the best actors working today in the lead role. Ali wanted the part badly enough that he approached Marvel about playing Blade.

Yet the project went through repeated delays, script changes and director departures until it eventually collapsed. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has since acknowledged the failure, admitting that he felt like a “gigantic loser and failure” because the studio never managed to make Ali’s movie.

That admission matters because Ali should not have to keep explaining what went wrong. Reporters keep asking him about Blade, but perhaps those questions now belong with Marvel.

Ali did his part. He signed on, trained and remained attached while the studio repeatedly tried to work out what kind of movie it wanted to make. How many more interviews does he need to spend discussing someone else’s inability to get a film into production?

Seven Years Is a Long Time to Leave an Actor Waiting

Ali was not an unknown performer hoping Marvel might change his career. By the time Marvel announced him as Blade, he had already won two Academy Awards. That makes the whole situation even more frustrating.

Actors attached to major franchises often have to work around studio schedules, physical preparation and contractual commitments. Ali reportedly trained extensively for the role, only for the film to remain stuck in development. That time matters.

He could have been taking other roles, developing other projects or simply working without the uncertainty of a Marvel production hanging over him.

The studio had the money, the character and the star. Somehow, it still could not make a vampire movie about Blade killing vampires. That is an extraordinary fumble.

Ali Has Already Found Something Better to Talk About

The irony is that some of the work Ali put into Blade ultimately benefited another project. His new film, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, reunites him with Bassam Tariq, who was once attached to direct Blade. Ali has spoken about using the physical preparation he originally undertook for Marvel in the new movie.

In other words, something productive finally came out of all that wasted preparation. Ali also appears far more interested in discussing the film he actually made than repeatedly revisiting the one Marvel could not. Who can blame him? He has already been remarkably gracious about the situation.

Marvel lost the opportunity to build a franchise around a two-time Oscar winner who genuinely wanted the role. Ali lost years waiting for the studio to make up its mind. Now he has moved on. The press should probably do the same and start asking Marvel why it dropped the ball so badly in the first place.

Discover more from Feminegra

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.