Two time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will soon branch out to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Blade. This latest role comes after a string of notable successes in film (Moonlight, Green Book) and television (Luke Cage, House of Cards, and True Detective).
“I had a fear of… just not having the fullest experience, as someone who always felt really creative,” Ali tells GQ. His career certainly fulfills a range of artistic ventures, from indie to mainstream. Up next: playing a Marvel protagonist.
Following the success of MCU actors such as Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, and presumably some people not named Chris, Marvel is branching out its characters and films. Ali will debut as Blade, a half-human/half-vampire supernatural creature slayer with a cool demeanor, sometime in 2022. This role was previously played by Wesley Snipes in a movie trilogy in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.
After 23 Years in Hollywood, Mahershala Ali Finally Gains Recognition
“Hopefully this next wave will be me doing parts that I just want to do, when before it was about me making a living,” said Ali after his 2016 Oscar win for Moonlight.
In fact, it took Ali about 23 years of small roles (and a short lived rap career) to become a household name. He has since seen a meteoric rise to fame. In the few years since the release of Moonlight, Ali has won another Oscar for his supporting role in the 2019 film Green Book. Additionally, TIME Magazine named him of 2019’s 100 People of the Year.
Other than film successes, Ali features in season 2 of Ramy Youssef’s Ramy on Hulu. After the first season saw Golden Globe-worthy success in new types of representation for Muslim Americans in the media, the creators decided to expand. Youssef and his team wrote the part of Sheikh Ali for him to represent black American Islam and Sufism, a more mystical branch of the religion.
A New Narrative for African-American Muslims
As he broke into the spotlight, Ali’s personal life also grew immensely. He had a daughter the same week he won his first Oscar for Moonlight.
Ali had joked that his wife was pregnant with their child, and he with an Oscar. He connects lessons he learned in parenting to his own career as an African-American Muslim actor in another way, too.
“You’ve got to keep drilling the message, right? You’ve got to carry on the conversation until they grow into a state of consciousness where they understand,” Ali reflects. “It’s a conversation that’s gonna go on for a while yet.”
The conversation he refers to covers his acting and personal life – especially religion. The son of an ordained minister, Ali converted in 1999 and even wrote about his story in a book titled “By the Dawn’s Early Light: Short Stories by American Converts to Islam.”
“Blade” Expands Mahershala Ali’s Audience
With new opportunities and a growing audience, Ali’s next role will take him into one of the most lucrative franchises in Hollywood history: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Blade, a half-human and half-vampire vampire hunter created by Marvel, first appeared on the screen as portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the Blade trilogy, as well as an eponymous television series.
Forbes notes that Ali not only physically resembles both the original 1970s comics, but also a younger Wesley Snipes. Additionally, he has already shown his ability to play a “laid back yet dangerous action lead with his role in last year’s hit Alita.”
Wesley Snipes elegantly handed the baton to Ali in a statement to ComicBook.com. “Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali,” he said. “A beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come.”
Ali has shared some concept art, teasing his potential look in the upcoming film:
While fans wait for more news about the Blade reboot, excitement builds. In fact, Ali’s casting is one of the only things confirmed – but rumors abound with regards to who might direct the new films.
Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah recently confirmed they met with Marvel Studios. However, they’re keeping quiet on which movie this meeting concerned. The pair recently had their breakthrough film on American screens with an update to the Bad Boys franchise. Their pop culture hit Bad Boys for Life brought back stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. With the next project, the pair didn’t reveal which characters they’ll be working with. However, El Arbi does consider Blade a “dream project.”
The movie is speculated to be released in 2022, although the pandemic may cause interruptions to filming and productions. For further updates, follow this page.
