Mahershala Ali gets brutally honest about the progression of his Marvel Cinematic Universe career as his Blade movie is still in development. While announcing at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that he would be playing Blade in the MCU timeline, the reboot film has been one of Marvel Studios’ biggest challenges since its reveal.

While Ali’s Blade movie has remained in development hell for several years, the project has lost multiple directors and had different writers take a crack at the screenplay. As of right now, Blade is not only without a director, but is nowhere to be seen on the MCU’s release schedule.

In a recent Vogue interview promoting their new film Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and long-time MCU veteran Scarlett Johansson got to a point in their chat where Marvel was brought up. When asked to list every MCU film that Ali and Johansson have been in, the Blade actor jokingly stated, “Leave me out of it. That’s just a Scarlett question.”

Though the conversation then went into Johansson’s various MCU roles, the topic did return to Mahershala Ali’s Blade. However, Ali simply moved on to the next topic when this happened, with Johansson and Bailey clearly amused at his response being to do so.

What Mahershala Ali’s Comments Mean

While the references made to Blade by the actors here appear lighthearted, it’s understandable from Ali’s perspective if he is feeling any kind of frustration with how his MCU career has played out so far. What became a big surprise in 2019 with his Blade casting has now led to a movie that’s been delayed for over half a decade, with many wondering if the reboot movie will even happen.

It’s also crucial to remember that even if there are any new Blade movie updates, Ali wouldn’t be able to give specifics either way, with Marvel Studios always remaining very secretive about their projects. Since this interview was also to promote Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, it makes particular sense the actor didn’t want to focus on Blade.

Our Take On Mahershala Ali’s Comments

With the Blade reboot still currently appearing to be stalled, it’s perfectly understandable that Mahershala Ali may not have wished to delve into discussion about the project at this time. As confirmed in July 2024, Kevin Feige’s Blade update about how he has read a new writer’s draft means they are still seemingly wanting to make this film happen.

At this point, fans should not expect to see the Blade movie until Phase 7, at the earliest, since Marvel Studios is still in need of a director on the project. Hopefully, before 2025 is over, some positive news about Blade will emerge that will get Ali closer to finally getting to portray the Marvel icon.

Source: Vogue