Mahershala Ali on Blade: 'If they wanted to do it, we would've done it'
Synopsis
Mahershala Ali has put the Blade question to rest — and placed the blame squarely at Marvel's door. In a candid GQ interview, the two-time Oscar winner said: 'You had me under contract, they have billions of dollars, if they wanted to do the movie, we would've done the movie.' Days earlier, Marvel president Kevin Feige called himself a 'gigantic loser and failure' for letting it collapse.
Key Takeaways
Mahershala Ali confirmed in a GQ interview that he has moved on from Marvel's Blade reboot.
Ali said the project's collapse was Marvel's doing: 'If they wanted to do it, we would've done it.' The film lost director Bassam Tariq in 2022 ; both Tariq and Ali subsequently moved to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother .
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige called himself a 'gigantic loser and failure' for not getting the film made with Ali.
Ali said he feels 'creatively redeemed' by his new film, which he describes as more aligned with the original work he wants to pursue.
Mahershala Ali has confirmed he has moved on from Marvel Studios' long-stalled Blade reboot, saying the project's collapse was ultimately Marvel's call — not his. The two-time Oscar winner made the remarks in a new interview with GQ, while promoting his upcoming film Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Ali's Verdict on Blade
Marvel Studios announced in 2019 that Ali would portray Blade — also known as Eric Brooks, the human-vampire hybrid previously made iconic by Wesley Snipes in the 1990s film trilogy. Despite a brief voice cameo in the 2021 Marvel film Eternals, the standalone Blade project never got off the ground.
Asked whether he and Marvel have any future with the character, Ali was unambiguous. 'Not with me,' he told GQ. 'When I look at what is for me, is it was either this or that — and I'll take this. No offense to them.'
He added: '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.'
The Bassam Tariq Connection
Ali had been set to make Blade with writer-director Bassam Tariq, who departed the project in 2022. Tariq subsequently pivoted to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, and Ali followed. The film, according to GQ, casts Ali as a Muslim hitman in Houston whose wife suddenly dies — a character and story the actor described as deeply aligned with the kind of work he wants to be known for.
'I don't really want to be known for remakes. I'd love to do original work that resonates with people and impacts them in unique ways. So, I'm good,' Ali said.
He also acknowledged an unexpected silver lining: 'The reason this even exists is because that project fell apart and Bassam had the time, space, energy, and focus to go and write this and then re-approach me. And I was able to use those skills that I had been working on for over a year training for Blade. In that way, I feel creatively redeemed on some level.'
Marvel's Own Admission
Ali's comments arrive days after Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige publicly acknowledged the failure, telling podcaster Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he is 'feeling like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn't get off the ground with Mahershala.' The candid admission from Marvel's top executive is notable given the studio's typically guarded public communications.
Ali, for his part, is done waiting for answers. 'Those questions are for them. They didn't want to do it, so they should answer that question,' he said, drawing a firm line under the chapter.
What Comes Next
With Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother now in focus, Ali appears to have channelled his Blade preparation into a project he considers more personally meaningful. Whether Marvel pursues a Blade reboot with a different lead — or shelves the concept entirely — remains an open question the studio has yet to address publicly.
Point of View
While Feige's 'gigantic loser' remark reads more like damage control than genuine transparency. What's missing is any account of why, after three years and a director change, the project never found its footing. For Marvel, a studio navigating a post-Endgame identity crisis, losing a two-time Oscar winner to a passion project is more than a scheduling mishap — it is a signal of deeper creative indecision.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Mahershala Ali not doing the Blade movie?
Ali says the decision not to proceed was Marvel's, not his. In a GQ interview, he stated: 'You had me under contract, they have billions of dollars, if they wanted to do the movie, we would've done the movie.' He has since moved on to star in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
What happened to the Marvel Blade reboot?
Marvel Studios announced the Blade reboot in 2019 with Mahershala Ali attached to star. Director Bassam Tariq departed the project in 2022, and the film never moved into production. Marvel president Kevin Feige has publicly called the failure to make the film with Ali a personal low point.
What is Mahershala Ali's new movie Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother about?
The film, directed by Bassam Tariq, casts Ali as a Muslim hitman in Houston whose wife suddenly dies. Ali has described the project as deeply aligned with the kind of original, resonant work he wants to be known for, and said he feels 'creatively redeemed' by it.
What did Kevin Feige say about the Blade project falling apart?
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told podcaster Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he is 'feeling like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn't get off the ground with Mahershala.' The comments were made just days before Ali's own GQ interview went public.
Who played Blade before Mahershala Ali was cast?
Wesley Snipes famously portrayed Blade in a trilogy of films in the 1990s and early 2000s. Marvel announced in 2019 that Ali would take over the role for a new MCU-era reboot, but that project never materialised.
