Mahershala Ali is done with "Blade."
The failed Marvel remake, which never made it to production after Ali was announced as the titular vampire hunter and antihero at Comic-Con 2019, has seen a number of delays and setbacks.
In a GQ feature, the Oscar-winning actor said he has "moved on."
"So, I'm good," Ali, 52, told the outlet. "Again, you had me under contract, they have billions of dollars." He added that if Marvel really "wanted to do the movie, we would've done the movie. So we're not doing the movie."
USA TODAY has reached out to Marvel Studios for comment.
Ali's comments come after Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige admitted that he felt "like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn't get off the ground with Mahershala" during a recent appearance
on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast.
"Blade" had cycled through multiple directors and screenwriters, with Feige previously attributing the delay to not feeling "confident" about the script and an "over-expansion" of the studio amid mandates from Disney.
"Blade" was originally set to be directed by Bassam Tariq before he left the production in September 2022. Tariq was able to reconnect with Ali on their upcoming film "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother" about a Muslim hitman, and the actor also returned to his training for "Blade" in the film.
"I was very excited to do stunts in Blade and trained for a long time for that, so it was a huge relief to get to put that work to use," he said. "In that way, I feel creatively redeemed on some level, just in my own journey between me, myself, and I."
While Ali's comment put the nail in the coffin for his version of "Blade," the "Moonlight" actor admitted he "didn't feel great about the fact that things finished the way that they did." Still, "I don't really want to be known for remakes."
"When I look at what is for me, is it was either this or that — and I'll take this," he said of "Your Mother," which he called a "uniquely deep" story dealing with grief, spirituality and parenthood. "I'd love to do original work that resonates with people and impacts them in unique ways," he added.
As far as "Blade," Ali said questions about the decision aren't his to answer.
"I feel ready to move on from the Blade questions," he said. "Those questions are for them. They didn't want to do it, so they should answer that question."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mahershala Ali puts nail in the coffin for any 'Blade' movie hopefuls
