You’d think a Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali would be the easiest plane to land, but for multiple reasons, Marvel just can’t seem to make it happen.
Mahershala Ali is a two-time Oscar winner with a filmography you couldn’t point out a flaw in even if they paid you to find one. When the Mahershala-led Blade was first announced in 2019, the studio was unknowingly just hitting its peak. Every year up until then had been marked by Marvel figuring out how to hit a new, higher high. But the quick one-two punch of Infinity War and the pandemic changed everything.
Originally, Ali was supposed to hit screens as Marvel’s daywalking vampire on Nov. 7, 2025. But ever since that announcement, there have been ongoing reports that either the star or the studio — or both — have been unhappy with the latest script iteration. The director’s chair has been more akin to a game of musical chairs, with Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange both at some point occupying, then vacating, the position.
It’s no secret that Marvel is currently going through what we might unkindly refer to as a flop era. And to their credit, they’re doing their version better than most. But the fact remains: they’re fumbling with what to do next. Reportedly, they’re trying to focus on quality and reduce the canonical impact of their TV shows. But that restructuring also means reworking the scripts and approach of many films already on the slate.
Of course, Blade is not exactly new to Marvel chaos. Back in the 1990s, when the Blade movies were the only thing standing between Marvel and bankruptcy, just two people revived the then-troubled intellectual property: David S. Goyer and Wesley Snipes. In fact, according to Screen Rant, Goyer even offered to help Marvel with the new script. Their response? “We love you, but we think we’ve cracked it now, and we’re in a good place.”
As for Mahershala Ali, he’s still busy — currently opening one of this summer’s biggest films opposite Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World: Rebirth. Reporters caught up with him to ask where Blade currently stands, and his response was measured: “I would love for Blade to happen. We’ll see. I don’t know where Marvel is at right now. I’m looking for the next great part.”
Mahershala Ali shares the status of #Blade at the #JurassicWorldRebirth premiere: "I'm just taking it a day at a time" pic.twitter.com/iu2iITY4ds
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 23, 2025
Thunderbolts might not have pulled in the returns Marvel expected — despite how good it was — but if a two-time Academy Award winner is ready, then they should be too. These are exactly the kinds of movies that can get a new generation invested again: films that are simply good, instead of ones that focus too heavily on how every piece fits into a larger jigsaw puzzle.
In the beloved Phase 1, things didn’t always work — roles like Hulk were even eventually recast. What fans are clamoring for isn’t a cohesive tapestry of interconnected movies. If that’s there, that’s a plus — but generally, fans just want a great movie. And a Mahershala Ali Blade? That sounds like a great movie.
