As the MCU undergoes some major internal changes, Blade star Mahershala Ali, reportedly has a number of his own changes he wants to see for his solo outing.
While Blade became one of the MCU's most anticipated new movies upon its announcement at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, it's faced more than its fair share of issues during development, leading to multiple delays to its release date.
The vampire-centric solo story recently went through an incredibly public director change, with Yann Demange reportedly taking over for Bassam Tariq after the production schedule didn't allow Tariq to continue with the movie.
And with many of these issues stemming from Ali's vision for what he wants in Blade, it's no surprise for fans to see that he's having a massive impact on the way this new MCU film is made.
Mahershala Ali's Blade Script Demands
Insider Jeff Sneider shared new insight into Mahershala Ali's requests for the Blade script in an appearance on The Hot Mic podcast.
Sneider explained that Ali is heavily involved with Blade's story process, so much so that he has demanded "script changes all the time" in recent months. Ali, who propelled the project into development after meeting with Marvel Studios in 2019, allegedly feels that "Blade is his movie" and has thus worked to infuse his vision into its story and direction.
But this could also be for the best, as Ali is a proven creative genius, having won not one, but two acting Academy Awards.
This comes at a time when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has reportedly become "worn thin" overseeing dozens of projects at once, all while "putting out fires" with this movie and across the rest of the MCU.
Marvel Studios has not commented on this report.
Will Ali's Demands Make Blade Work?
Mahershala Ali's passion for Blade has been well-documented over the past few years, with other reports noting his frustration about how difficult it's been to get the movie off the ground.
And with his resume as a multiple-time Oscar-winner, it's clear that he wants to impart as much of his own influence as possible upon Eric Brooks' long-awaited MCU debut.
After making his MCU debut via a voiceover cameo in Eternals, MCU fans are anxious to see what the half-vampire will do once he's fully introduced and bringing his supernatural adventures to the big screen.
And while he's shared how much fun he had recording that cameo alone, he appears to have much more up his sleeves for this iconic Marvel antihero.
Blade is currently set to debut in theaters on September 6, 2024.
