(Image: Pinterest, New Line Cinema)
After years of cycling through writers and directors, multiple script overhauls, and indefinite production delays, the MCU's reboot of "Blade" is officially dead. The news, first rumored last year, was recently confirmed by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who admitted the failure to get the film made was a major disappointment.
Now, two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, who was first announced as the new Daywalker back in 2019, has finally broken his silence on the film's cancellation in a new interview with GQ magazine.
Ali was speaking with the magazine to promote his new action film, "The Mother," a project that has a direct connection to "Blade." The film's director, Bassam Tariq, was originally hired by Marvel to helm "Blade," which is how he and Ali first met.
(Image: Amazon)
It was Tariq's departure from "Blade" that gave him the time to develop the script for "The Mother." And with "Blade" continuously pushed back, Ali's schedule opened up, allowing him to accept Tariq's offer to star in the film.
Reflecting on the nearly seven years of development that ultimately led to nothing, Ali stated, "The best I can offer is that, for me, when it comes to choosing roles, it’s always a choice between two things, and I chose 'The Mother.' No disrespect to Marvel. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years, and one of the things I’ve learned is that what’s for you is for you, and what’s not, you can’t force it. And for whatever reason, 'Blade' wasn’t for me. If Marvel wanted to make it, we would have made it. So I had to let it go, and I have."
(Image: Amazon)
Ali continued, "'The Mother' is the kind of work through which I want audiences to get to know me, because I don’t want to be known for remakes [referring to 'Blade']. I aspire to create original work that resonates with people and affects them in a unique way, so I’m in a good place (laughs)."
Ali emphasized, "I’ll say it again: they had me signed, they have billions of dollars, and if they wanted to make 'Blade,' we would have made it. So we didn’t. When I look at 'The Mother' and 'Blade' side-by-side, it’s clear to me I couldn’t have done both. 'The Mother' exists because 'Blade' stalled. That gave Bassam the time, space, energy, and focus to write this script and then come back to me."
(Image: Marvel Studios)
Ali concluded, "In 'The Mother,' I used the sword skills I had trained for over a year for 'Blade.' In a way, I feel I found creative redemption; it was a personal journey of self-discovery. I feel I’m ready to stop answering questions about 'Blade.' Those questions should go to Marvel. They’re the ones who didn’t want to make it, so they should be the ones to answer for it."
Although Ali never physically appeared in the MCU, his voice was featured in a post-credits scene in "Eternals." Marvel also used his likeness to design a "Moon Knight version" of Blade for the third season of the animated series "What If...?".
In "The Mother," Ali plays Latif, a devout "religious assassin" struggling to balance his violent profession with his faith and his duties as a father. After his wife's death, Latif is forced on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his child as dangerous forces close in and his own faith begins to waver. The film is set for a limited release on September 25, followed by a wider rollout on October 9.
via： GQ