Mahershala Ali Calls Out Marvel & Is “Ready To Move On” From ‘Blade’ Questions: “If They Wanted To Do The Movie, We Would’ve Done The Movie”

Mahershala Ali is ready to move on from being asked about Blade, the Marvel Studios reboot he was set to star in and suffered multiple setbacks.

In a new interview, Ali opened up about being attached to the project that had been in development for years.

“Not with me,” Ali told GQ when asked if the Blade reboot was closer to materializing.

He continued, “No offense to them. I’ve been doing this professionally for pushing 30 years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that what is for you is for you and what is not is not. For whatever reason, that project is not for me. If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on.”

Ali said that he doesn’t “really want to be known for remakes” and wants to continue doing “original work that resonates with people and impacts them in unique ways.”

“So, I’m good,” he added. “Again, you had me under contract, they have billions of dollars, if they wanted to do the movie, we would’ve done the movie. So we’re not doing the movie.”

Ali’s next film is Bassam Tariq’s Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which he says exists because Blade fell apart. After “working on for over a year training for Blade,” he was approached by Tariq and “was able to use those skills” he had trained for.

“I feel creatively redeemed on some level, just in my own journey between me, myself, and I. But I feel ready to move on from the Blade questions. Those questions are for them. They didn’t want to do it, so they should answer that question,” he said, ending the topic.

Ali’s comments come after Marvel’s Kevin Feige said he felt “like a gigantic loser and failure” for not being able to make the Blade reboot happen.

Marvel first confirmed the Blade reboot with Ali back in 2019, but the project has since been met with multiple delays, including directors Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange’s exits from the film and the 2023 WGA strike.