One Marvel Cinematic Universe project that can’t seem to catch is a break is the highly-anticipated Blade reboot. The upcoming MCU film was first announced in 2019. Actor Mahershala Ali was attached to play the character at the time, and while he voiced the role for a cameo appearance in Eternals, things have otherwise been complicated. Now a new rumor suggests that Mahershala Ali has left the Blade project altogether.
Actor Wesley Snipes first portrayed the Blade character for live-action in a trilogy of films from 1998 to 2004. As such, fans were delighted to hear that the character would be returning back to the big screen within the MCU. The shared universe seemed like interesting new territory for Blade, and fans were eager to see how Mahershala Ali would portray the character.
In the time since being announced, however, the project has faced a number of delays. Many rumors associated with these delays suggest that the cast, writers, and directors involved have been unhappy with the film’s direction. It’s been passed from several creative personnel as a result in addition to delayed release dates. Now, according to insider John Campea, the studio is once again going back to “square one” for Blade and it’s the final straw for Mahershala Ali.
Obviously this rumor should be taken with a grain of salt. It has yet to be confirmed. However, it does line up with rumors and reports that have come out over the years, especially with the behind-the-scenes turmoil that the film appears to have found itself in. Here’s what Campea shared:
“About a week or to ago, I had somebody say to me, somebody relatively connected to the situation, that they had heard that they were right back to square one, that too many of the key players are not happy with the current iteration of the script,” said Campea.
It’s unknown who exactly the key players could be – whether they’re cast members, the film’s writer or director, or the project’s producers. He adds that it could be a good thing to keep the film’s story on the right track as well. However, Campea does seem confident in his own belief that Mahershala Ali is definitely someone no longer involved:
“But I am now at a point, something I have denied before, I didn’t believe it before, but I am now at a point that I am going to say this: I do not believe Mahershala Ali is going to be Blade,” Campea added.
“I think within the next two months, we are going to get the infamous ‘scheduling conflicts.’”
Campea added, “This guy can only put his career on hold for so long.”
He continued:
“I’m just saying as a fan, I think I am at the point that I just don’t believe Mahershala Ali is going to be it,” he explained. “I think at some point he is going to go, ‘You know what, guys? It has been fun, I’ve waited five years, I’m going to do something else.’”
Hopefully we’ll have more details regarding the fate of the project in the near future. As for now, we’ll have to see what happens to Blade and whether or not Mahershala Ali will remain involved. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.