Mahershala Ali to star in Marvel's Blade reboot

Mahershala Ali

Two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali is set to lead Marvel Studios' "Blade" reboot. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made the announcement during a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con. Ali also took the stage at the announcement donning the Blade baseball cap.

Created by writer Marv Wolfman, Blade first made an appearance in the 1973 comic book "The Tomb of Dracula #10" as a supporting character. He is a vampire hunter--half-mortal, half-immortal--who tries to free the world from vampires as a way of avenging his mother, who was killed by a vampire as she gave birth to him. Actor Wesley Snipes played the character in David S Goyer's "Blade" franchise.

Post the presentation, Feige told The Hollywood Reporter, that he had received a call from Ali expressing his desire to work with the studio. "When Marhershala calls, you answer," Feige said. He added that Ali came right out and said that he wanted to do Blade.

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