How Long Will Mahershala Ali Stick With ‘Blade’?
When Marvel Studios initially announced that it was putting a Blade film into production in 2019, the idea sounded like a sure-fire hit.
At the time, Marvel was coming off the highs of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and it seemed that the studio could do no wrong. Additionally, Marvel had Mahershala Ali lined up to play the popular vampire hunter. In fact, it was the actor who initially approached the studio about playing the role.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 08: Actor Mahershala Ali attends the GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont on December 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
In the five years since Blade was initially announced, however, production of the film has been an abject disaster.
A Series of Setbacks
The film was initially set to begin filming in November 2022 for a November 2023 release. Since then, however, the film has been delayed three times.
Photo: The Cosmic Circus
The reasons for the delays have been numerous. The first delay came in 2022 when Bassam Tariq stepped down as Blade’s director. He was eventually replaced by Yann Demange.
Then, just as filming was set to kick into gear, Blade was shut down by last year’s WGA strike.
Finally, earlier this week, Deadline reported that Yann Demange was no longer working on the project, and The Fantastic Four screenwriter Eric Pearson was working on a new script.
Photo: Variety
Pearson will now be the fifth screenwriter to take a pass at Blade, following Beau DeMayo, Michael Green, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, and Nic Pizzolatto.
How Long Will Ali Stay?
With a new screenwriter working on the project and now sans director, the production of Blade has once again stalled.
Photo: USA Today
While it appears that Marvel is still determined to get the film made, how long Mahershala Ali will wait around remains to be seen.
Despite the fact that the production of Blade has now stretched five years and the film is seemingly no closer to being made than when it was announced, Ali has previously stated that he is optimistic about the film.
Photo: Marvel
“[I’m] sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that,” he said. “So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”
The Actor’s Attorney Speaks Out
After the latest setback, however, it is possible that Ali’s opinion has changed.
In a recent profile on entertainment attorneys in The Hollywood Reporter, Ali’s lawyer, Shelby Weiser, sounded exasperated with Marvel.
“That deal was in 2019, and they still haven’t shot it. Which is pretty much the craziest thing in my professional experience.”
Image: Marvel.com
While Blade is still technically set to be released on November 7, 2025, another delay seems inevitable. If that happens, all eyes will be on Ali to see how he responds.
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