"Call Marvel, I’m ready" - Mahershala Ali talks about his delayed Marvel film, Blade

It has been a long, uncertain road for Blade, which was about to star Moonlight fame Mahershala Ali. Notably, the Marvel project was announced in 2019 at the San Diego Comic-Con, and Ali was set to appear as the half-human, half-vampire character.

However, at the New York premiere of his latest film, Jurassic World Rebirth, with little news on the Marvel film's development, Ali offered a pointed update.

“Call Marvel. I’m ready,” he said.

The brief statement rekindled buzz around the project that has been languishing in development limbo since its announcement. That year, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige invited Ali on stage during the San Diego Comic-Con to reveal that he would star in a new Blade reboot. This was to be a new interpretation of the character as famously played by Wesley Snipes in the late '90s and early 2000s.

But since that announcement, little has been seen. Other projects introduced during the same period, such as Shang-Chi, WandaVision, and Loki have come and gone, with Blade still under a hold.

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Mahershala Ali breaks his silence on Blade reboot

Mahershala Ali’s recent comment, though said in passing, speaks volumes about where he stands. After years of delays, staffing changes, and shifting creative visions, the two-time Oscar winner is making it clear he has not lost faith in the character or the film.

“Let them know I’m ready,” he added, suggesting he is waiting for Marvel to align its behind-the-scenes issues before he can finally step into the role.

This is not the first time the actor has brushed off the delays. In 2023, he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he was "encouraged" by where things were going. Blade has already been through numerous rewrites, director changes, and casting shuffles.

Bassam Tariq, who was originally set to helm the film, left in 2022, weeks before production was scheduled to start. His replacement, Yann Demange, has also left. His onetime co-stars Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo are no longer on board either. Mahershala Ali is still seemingly committed and now publicly reaffirms his dedication.

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What is Blade about and more details explored

The half-human, half-vampire dhampir Blade is one of Marvel's darker characters. Introduced in the comics in the 1970s, Blade has only one quest: rid the world of vampires. The original Blade film in 1998, featuring Wesley Snipes, was a cult favorite and a box-office hit.

It was one of the few early superhero movies to discover a fan base before the contemporary Marvel Cinematic Universe was even a thought.

Within the modern Marvel universe, Blade was to be positioned as a key part of the supernatural edge of the MCU, joining the likes of Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Despite the fan anticipation and Mahershala Ali’s A-list presence, Blade has struggled behind the scenes. Last year, Disney removed it from its release calendar altogether, following multiple postponements. The film was once slated for a November 2023 release, then moved to 2025, before being taken off the schedule entirely.

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Viewers in the meantime can watch Mahershala Ali in Jurassic World Rebirth, which also stars Jonathan Bailey and Scarlet Johansson and releases on July 4, 2025.