All the noise around the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t bothering one of its stars. Mahershala Ali believes Blade is on the right track.
While promoting his new Netflix movie, Leave the World Behind, Ali spoke to Entertainment Weekly about Blade‘s status and how things are trending in the right direction. “We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you,” he said. “I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.”
Blade has dealt with several production issues following Ali’s surprising reveal at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. COVID certainly didn’t help matters, but neither did director Bassam Tariq leaving the project in 2022. And then, of course, came the strikes that halted Hollywood productions. Blade was one of the films affected, and due to the delays, Marvel Studios pushed the film back to 2025.
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However, despite all of those problems, Ali’s optimism still hasn’t wavered. “I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that,” he explained. “So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”
Blade remains one of the dangling threads that MCU fans would like to see picked up sooner rather than later. Ali’s voice was heard in the post-credits scene of Eternals, but he’s yet to make another appearance in the franchise. There were rumors that he would cameo in Disney+’s Werewolf by Night, but Kevin Feige and Co. appear to be saving the vampire hunter’s next appearance for his solo film.
If you’re interested in more Marvel-related content, here’s an article about whether Disney+’s Loki will get a third season.
