Mahershala Ali is done talking about “Blade.”
While appearing on Vogue’s “Off the Cuff” alongside his “Jurassic World Rebirth” co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, Ali dodged the question when Bailey asked how many Marvel films they’ve both starred in.
“Leave me out of it,” Ali joked. “That’s a Scarlett question.”
“Well, there’s one that we’re very excited about,” Bailey quipped back, referencing Ali’s long-delayed “Blade” reboot.
Although the feature comic book adaptation about the daywalking vampire hunter has been in production limbo for the past six years, Ali recently told Variety he remains ready to take on the titular role.
“Call Marvel,” Ali said at the New York premiere of “Jurassic World Rebirth.” “I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready.”
First announced in 2019, “Blade” has experienced a revolving door of actors and directors, with Marvel unable to get the film off the ground. Despite the ongoing issues, Marvel CEO Kevin Feige said at D23 Brazil 2024 that the comic book titan is “committed” to bringing “Blade” back to the big screen.
“We love the character. We love Mahershala’s take on him,” Feige said. “And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You’re all up to date on what’s happening. But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU.”
It was recently revealed that Ryan Coolger’s “Sinners” featured costumes originally intended for “Blade,” but went unused after the Marvel production hit a roadblock.
“[Costume designer] Ruth Carter was working on the Blade movie that ended up not shooting,” “Sinners” producer Sev Ohanian explained. “At one point that movie was going to deal with, and she’s talked about this before, but at one point that film was going to deal with the past around the same era as ‘Sinners.’ She happened to have a warehouse full of period-appropriate clothes, and it was like, ‘Yo, we got to shoot this movie like tomorrow.’ And Marvel was generous enough and kind enough to let us basically purchase it at price.”