Mahershala Ali Confirms He's No Longer Attached to 'Blade'

After years of delays and uncertainty, Mahershala Ali has confirmed that he will no longer play Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In an interview with GQ, the actor said he has already moved on and made it clear that the project is no longer expected to happen with him in the role: "If they wanted to do it, we would have done it", he said. He then emphasized that he does not intend to comment on the matter anymore: "I feel like I’m ready to move on from questions about Blade. Those questions are for them", he said, referring to Marvel Studios.

The statement comes just days after Kevin Feige, the studio’s president, said he feels like a failure for not being able to get the project off the ground.

Announced as the new Blade during San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Ali never actually starred in the long-awaited reboot, only making a brief voice appearance in the post-credits scene of Eternals.

In the interview, Ali also revealed that he found a new challenge in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, directed by Bassam Tariq, the filmmaker who was set to direct the Blade movie before leaving the production in 2022.

The actor said he was frustrated with how the project turned out, but noted that reuniting with Tariq on this new feature was a rewarding experience. "So if it's a this or that type of thing, personally, for me, I would take this. It was a really fulfilling experience", he concluded.