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Kevin Feige: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is publicly owning the failure of "Blade."
He called himself a "gigantic loser" over the project's collapse. The admission came during an appearance on Josh Horowitz's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast.
A Project That Never Left the Ground
The "Blade" reboot had been in development for years. Oscar winner Mahershala Ali was set to star as Marvel's vampire hunter. Bassam Tariq was originally attached to direct.
Tariq exited the project in 2022. The film then cycled through multiple screenwriters and rewrites.
Despite the effort, "Blade" never moved into production. Marvel removed it from its release schedule in 2024.
Feige Addresses the Fallout
Horowitz pressed Feige on the subject during the podcast interview. He asked how much time Feige has spent discussing the project in therapy.
Feige did not hold back his response. "I am feeling like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn't get off the ground with Mahershala," he said.
Snipes Steps In as a Consolation
Feige noted one silver lining. Wesley Snipes, who played Blade in the original 1998 film, appeared in "Deadpool & Wolverine" instead. Feige called landing Snipes for that role "very exciting."
Ali has not played the character on screen. He addressed his interest in the role last year while promoting a "Jurassic World" film. "I'm ready," Ali said at the time. "Let them know I'm ready."
Meanwhile, Channing Tatum's Gambit made it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Ali's Blade ever did.
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