Kevin Feige Feels Like a “Gigantic Loser and Failure” Over Blade Reboot
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has effectively confirmed that the long-gestating Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali is dead, expressing regret that the project never came together. Speaking on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Feige said he felt like "a gigantic loser and failure" for failing to get the film off the ground, marking a rare, unusually candid admission of defeat from the head of the MCU. The comments close the book on one of Marvel's most prominent unfinished projects, which had been in development since 2019.
Feige had previously said in July 2025 that repeated delays stemmed from Marvel's broader creative reassessment after "over expansion" into Disney+ content, insisting the studio didn't want to simply "put a leather outfit on him and have him start killing vampires." The film was announced with Ali attached at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019 but suffered a string of setbacks: director Bassam Tariq departed in September 2022, production paused that October, and successor Yann Demange (with writer Michael Starrbury) later also exited after the project was repeatedly pushed back, from September 2024 to February 2025 and then November 2025. The reboot was ultimately overtaken by Wesley Snipes's surprise return as Blade in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine.
In short
- Feige admits Mahershala Ali's Blade reboot is effectively cancelled
- He called himself a "gigantic loser and failure" over it
- Project suffered years of delays and director exits since 2019
Explained simply
Blade is a Marvel character with a long cinematic history, dating back decades. Marvel Studios announced a reboot starring actor Mahershala Ali in 2019 at the Comic-Con fan convention, with the project positioned as one of the studio's major upcoming films. It represented a significant part of Marvel's plans for expanding its cinematic universe.
The film never moved forward to production despite being in development for over six years. Multiple directors departed the project, release dates were repeatedly pushed back, and the studio ultimately shelved the film. Marvel executives attributed the decision to the need for creative reassessment following what they described as over-expansion into television content.
Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, has recently acknowledged the project's failure—an uncommon move among film executives. Wesley Snipes' unexpected appearance as the character in a 2024 Marvel film suggested the studio had moved on to different creative approaches.
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