Mahershala Ali has confirmed that he will no longer star in Marvel’s long-delayed Blade film, effectively ending his involvement in the troubled MCU project. His comments make clear that the film did not move forward despite his contract, and place responsibility for its failure with Marvel; this matters because Ali’s casting had been a major part of the project since its announcement.

Ali said Marvel had the financial means to make the film if it had chosen to do so, adding that he instead chose Bassim Tariq’s Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which he feels better reflects the work he wants to be known for. Tariq was originally hired to direct Blade in 2021 but left amid delays in 2022, while his replacement, Yann Demange, departed in 2024; Marvel president Kevin Feige has reportedly called the inability to launch the film a “failure”.