Mahershala Ali to Play Blade in New Movie at Marvel Studios

Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel was full of huge Phase 4 news from the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings announcement to the insane Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reveal. But, there was no reveal more shocking than what Marvel boss Kevin Feige left fans with. A new Blade movie is in the works at Marvel Studios and Mahershala Ali will star as the iconic vampire hunter.

Just announced in Hall H at #SDCC, Marvel Studios’ BLADE with Mahershala Ali. pic.twitter.com/mtrDBy5OV0

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 21, 2019

A new take on Blade has been on Marvel fans’ wishlists for years. While many have declared a desire to see Wesley Snipes reprise his role as Blade, the reception to Ali’s casting has been overwhelmingly positive so far. The last time we saw the Daywalker on the big screen was with the disappointment that was Blade: Trinity. Hopefully, Marvel Studios will be able to successfully reboot this franchise and make us forget of another Ryan Reynolds superhero movie (at least he has Deadpool). The casting of Mahershala Ali is definitely a great start.

Mahershala Ali is no stranger to Marvel content. The actor previously portrayed Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes in Netflix’s Luke Cage. He didn’t have a long tenure on the series but Cottonmouth is still talked about today as one of the show’s best characters.

This does beg the question if this means the Marvel Netflix era is completely dead? Or is this just a case of selecting the perfect actor for the role regardless of previous TV roles? Ali’s Luke Cage co-star Alfre Woodard starred in both the Netflix series and appeared in a totally different role during Captain America: Civil War, albeit Woodard only had a minor role in the MCU film.

Are you excited about a new Blade movie? What are your thoughts on Mahershala Ali’s casting? What was your favorite Phase 4 announcement at Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel? Let us know in the comments below!