{"id":907782,"date":"2026-09-27T20:54:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T20:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/907782\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T20:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T20:54:13","slug":"mahershala-ali-says-kevin-feige-should-feel-like-blade-cancellation-is-his-biggest-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/907782\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahershala Ali says Kevin Feige &#8220;should feel&#8221; like Blade cancellation is his &#8220;biggest failure&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">Mahershala Ali has opened up about Marvel&#8217;s Blade reboot, which was announced back in 2019. The actor was set to play the titular antihero before the movie was scrapped following a number of departures and delays. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">In an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Zj_tL5ew1Yc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Zj_tL5ew1Yc\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"GQ\" data-node-id=\"9.1.0\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\">GQ<\/a>, Ali addressed the cancellation of the project, saying it was a question for Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t know why it didn&#8217;t [happen]. To this day, I don&#8217;t know why it didn&#8217;t happen. I just know that it was Kevin. He said it was the biggest failure of his career and I agree. 100%. He should feel that way,&#8221; the star said. <\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"mahershala ali and kevin feige at comic con 2019\" title=\"Mahershala Ali and Kevin Feige at Comic-Con 2019\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2838\" height=\"4000\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bcc50351-368a-4be7-bada-ebf1fe5ea17d.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1ddfba50\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Albert L. Ortega<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"18\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a29669\/uk-film-release-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a29669\/uk-film-release-dates\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"UK film release dates\" data-node-id=\"18.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UK film release dates<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"22\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">Ali pointed out that the studio had a &#8220;two-time Oscar-winning actor under contract&#8221; and &#8220;billions of dollars&#8221; to fund the movie. He also shared how much time and energy he poured into preparing for the role amid constant production delays. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"26\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">&#8220;I spent a year training. Yeah. I trained so hard &#8217;til I blew my knee out,&#8221; he recalled. &#8220;I&#8217;m training, I&#8217;m learning sword work. Like, name a martial art, I&#8217;m training in it.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"31\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">&#8220;I literally moved, uprooted my family. Moved to Atlanta. We&#8217;re there waiting to go and they just keep pushing it back, pushing it back, pushing it&#8230; and then it doesn&#8217;t happen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"35\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">He added: &#8220;I&#8217;m saying no to things in that time because they own my schedule basically.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"mahershala ali, golden globes 2019\" title=\"Mahershala Ali, Golden Globes 2019\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2445\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mahershala-ali-golden-globes-1575887991.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1ddfba50\"\/><\/p>\n<p>MARK RALSTON\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"40\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a73907933\/spider-man-brand-new-day-cut-daredevil-cameo\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a73907933\/spider-man-brand-new-day-cut-daredevil-cameo\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Spider-Man: Brand New Day&#039;s cut Daredevil cameo has been revealed\" data-node-id=\"40.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spider-Man: Brand New Day&#8217;s cut Daredevil cameo has been revealed<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"44\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">Despite the disappointment and frustration surrounding the axed movie, Ali said he&#8217;s now &#8220;grateful&#8221; it didn&#8217;t come to fruition. He explained that the cancellation made way for him to work on his latest project Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which he stars in as the lead.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"48\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">&#8220;In the end, the failure became a blessing in disguise. It helped me stop waiting for the golden ticket and start building my own path,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"53\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Streaming Guide\" data-node-id=\"53.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"57\" class=\"css-14bo8h1 emevuu60\">The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton&#8217;s life, is here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/special-editions-subscriptions-lvldollyparton\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/special-editions-subscriptions-lvldollyparton\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Buy Dolly in newsagents or online\" data-node-id=\"57.3\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Buy Dolly in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-dynamic-svg=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/hearst\/static\/images\/logos\/lettermark.be20fe9.svg?primary=%2523000\" loading=\"lazy\" data-testid=\"dynamic-svg-base\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" alt=\"Lettermark\" class=\"css-7mevzh ev8dhu50\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a &#8220;telly addict&#8221; since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Digital Spy<\/a>\u00a0as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/author\/divya-soni\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Metro<\/a>,\u00a0Asian World News\u00a0and\u00a0TwitCelebGossip;\u00a0as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">film<\/a>\u00a0and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">soaps<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/marvel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">superheroes<\/a>, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations\u00a0and up to date information.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mahershala Ali has opened up about Marvel&#8217;s Blade reboot, which was announced back in 2019. The actor was&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":907783,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,475981,229445,241632,428,475980,430,134,308081,429,344,475979,366213],"class_list":["post-907782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-collection-blade","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-collection-marvel","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-8f9833f5-81c3-4cdf-94dc-fc9e6447dbab","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-movies","tag-shorttitle-mahershala-ali-calls-blade-cancellation-biggest-failure","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=907782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/907783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=907782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=907782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=907782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}