Following up on what I recently reported that it’s thought Mahershala Ali will be exiting Blade, now the trades report the two-time Oscar-winning actor is in talks for the Jurassic World reboot.
Oddly, none of the trades (THR and Variety) even mention Blade in their reporting.
THR first reported about the Jurassic World reboot and says Mahershala Ali is in talks to join Scarlett Johansson in the flick.
Update: It is confirmed Ali is in the film.
Blade not filming anytime soon with Mahershala Ali
If the talks go through, Ali will join the cast which includes Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and filming is said to be taking place mid-June in London.
Previous reports stated Marvel was supposed to film Blade in the summer or fall, so that’s out the door, assuming Mahershala Ali is sticking with Marvel.
THR also adds the Jurassic World reboot landing Mahershala Ali is huge for the film “as the actor tends to avoid Hollywood blockbusters and has cultivated a reputation of being selective.”
Well, Blade is supposed to be a big Hollywood blockbuster, but we see the trades are now silent about it.
Marvel in turmoil
Various reports have offered that amid the turmoil within Marvel, Blade has suffered greatly including the flick going through multiple directors and as many as seven writers.
Variety previously reported how the Blade movie was going to feature two-time Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali as a second rate character in his own movie which instead would focus on female characters.
“One person familiar with the script permutations says the story at one point morphed into a narrative led by women and filled with life lessons,” stated Variety. “Blade was relegated to the fourth lead, a bizarre idea considering that the studio had two-time Oscar winner Ali on board.”
Jurassic World has a July 2, 2025 release date directed by Gareth Edwards; Blade is supposed to get released November 7, 2025.
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