Mahershala Ali says the more than a year of training Marvel funded for Blade helped pay for his new film, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Ali is starring in the action thriller from Bassam Tariq, who was once attached to direct Marvel’s Blade. The two reunited after that project stalled, and Ali said the physical preparation he completed for Blade could be carried into the new film.
Mahershala Ali Blade training found a second film
“It was a little more than a year,” Ali said of his Blade training in comments to Deadline, quoted by IGN. “And actually I’m really grateful, they helped pay for our movie, so thank you.”
Ali said the training would not have happened without Marvel’s funding, and that the work helped make Tariq’s film possible. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars Ali as a hitman and is scheduled to open in cinemas on 25 September 2026.
Marvel announced Blade and Ali’s casting in 2019. The reboot went through several changes, including the departures of directors Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange, before Marvel removed it from its release calendar. Ali said in July that he had moved on from the project.
IGN also reports that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige previously described himself as a “gigantic loser and failure” over Blade’s collapse. The studio has not announced a new star or a new production plan for the film.
The cancelled project still shaped the film that followed it. Tariq had the time and space to write a new script, while Ali had already completed the physical preparation needed for its action scenes. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before its 25 September theatrical release.
Mahershala Ali Blade training now forms part of an action film built from preparation paid for during a Marvel project that never reached production. Ali’s earlier comments on leaving Blade are covered in our previous report on the project.
Sources: IGN and The Hollywood Reporter.
Who directed Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother?
Bassam Tariq wrote and directed the action thriller. He was previously attached to direct Marvel’s Blade.
When does Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother release?
The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 25 September 2026, after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Is Mahershala Ali still attached to Marvel’s Blade?
Ali has said he has moved on from the project. Marvel has not announced a new star or production plan for the reboot.
