# Mahershala Ali backs Feige’s view that abandoned Blade reboot was career low

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/mahershala-ali-says-i-agree-that-marvel-not-making-blade-is-the-biggest-failure-of-kevin-feiges-career-i-dont-know-why/
- Published: 2026-09-23T06:37:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-23T12:59:55+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/mahershala-ali-blade-failure-kevin-feige-1236872401/
- Topics: Americas, Entertainment, Film, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Ali and Feige agree Blade reboot's failure was Feige's greatest career mistake
- Project collapsed over five years with two directors and five writers departing
- Marvel's streaming expansion blamed for stalling development and prioritising quantity over quality

## Summary

Mahershala Ali has publicly agreed with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige that the abandoned Blade reboot represents a major failure, with Feige calling it the biggest career setback of his tenure. In a recent GQ interview, Ali expressed bewilderment that Marvel failed to produce the film despite having him—a two-time Oscar winner—under contract and possessing billions of dollars in resources. His endorsement of Feige's earlier admission of feeling like a "gigantic loser" underscores the frustration from both parties over a significant studio project that never reached production.

The Blade project, announced in July 2019, suffered a protracted development collapse marked by the departure of two directors: Bassam Tariq exited in September 2022 just two months before filming was scheduled to begin, and Yann Demange followed suit in June 2024. The project cycled through at least five different writers during its troubled development. Feige attributed the delays to Marvel's previous over-expansion into Disney+ streaming content, where quantity prioritised quality. Ali, despite his frustration at constantly having to prove himself despite his Oscar credentials for "Moonlight" and "Green Book," expressed philosophical acceptance of the situation rather than bitterness.

## Coverage

- [Variety: Mahershala Ali backs Feige’s view that abandoned Blade reboot was career low](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/mahershala-ali-blade-failure-kevin-feige-1236872401/)
- [IGN: Mahershala Ali Agrees That Kevin Feige Is a 'Gigantic Loser and Failure' Over Failed Blade Reboot](https://www.ign.com/articles/mahershala-ali-agrees-that-kevin-feige-is-a-gigantic-loser-and-failure-over-failed-blade-reboot)
- [Deadline: Mahershala Ali On ‘Blade’ Being A Big Failure For Kevin Feige: “100%. He Should Feel That Way”](https://deadline.com/2026/09/mahershala-ali-blade-kevin-feige-failure-1237110782/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Mahershala Ali Agrees That Marvel’s Scrapped ‘Blade’ Reboot Is Kevin Feige’s “Biggest Failure”](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mahershala-ali-marvel-blade-reboot-kevin-feige-failure-1236708012/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.