Saturday night at the San Diego Comic-Con, producer Kevin Feige revealed the entire line-up for "Phase 4" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe… and then, as the panel came to an end, he brought two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali (he won his Oscars for MOONLIGHT and GREEN BOOK) on stage to reveal that Ali will be playing the vampire-slaying title character in a reboot of the BLADE franchise.
This was an unexpected move that had not been rumored at all before the big reveal. Making it even stranger is the fact that the BLADE movie isn't even going to be part of Phase 4 – meaning we won't be seeing it until 2022 at the earliest. The fact that Ali will be starring in the movie was the only information given, as far as we know there is no director or writer attached at this time.
I didn't think we'd be hearing any movement on a BLADE reboot any time soon, and if something did happen I figured it would be a Hulu series instead of a feature film. Original BLADE trilogy star Wesley Snipes has said in recent years that he was talking to Marvel about returning as the character, but I never expected that to happen, either. I couldn't see the MCU tying itself to the world of those earlier films.
So why announce BLADE now, and what made Marvel interested in making a new BLADE movie in the first place? Apparently it was Ali who set this project in motion.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Feige revealed that Ali had gotten in contact with Marvel Studios to arrange a meeting with them soon after winning his GREEN BOOK Oscar earlier this year.
When Mahershala calls, you answer," Feige said. At the meeting, Ali came right out and said that he wanted to do Blade. That was that.
So there it is. The BLADE reboot is happening because Ali chose to use his clout to chase down the title role. Obviously this is something he's passionate about, which bodes well for the film that's coming down the line. A few years from now.
This will be Ali's second time working on a Marvel project; he previously appeared as the villain Cottonmouth on the Netflix series Luke Cage.
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