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Mahershala Ali was “directly involved” in the hiring of Marvel’s first Black female writer, it has been reported.
Stacy Osei-Kuffour will pen the script for the studio’s forthcoming Blade reboot, titled Blade, The Vampire Slayer.
Ali, who is set to star in the movie, had a helping hand in her hiring. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The studio has spent the last six months meeting with writers in what was described as a meticulous search, with Ali directly involved.
“Only Black writers were seriously considered, a reflection of Marvel’s focus on diversity and making representation a key factor – especially when tackling nonwhite characters.”
Osei-Kuffour has previously worked on projects including Watchmen, Amazon Prime Video’s Al Pacino-starring series Hunters, HBO’s Run and the Hulu comedy PEN15.
Ali is set to play the titular character in the reboot, which was originally played by Wesley Snipes. John West Jr is the only other name confirmed for the film so far and will play DEE. A release date has yet to be confirmed for the movie.
Upon the announcement of Ali’s casting in the new version of Blade, Wesley Snipes tweeted for upset fans to “chillaaxx” about Ali’s casting, before sharing further thoughts on the news.
“I’m happy for him to be considered. I’m happy for them looking at him. Flattery… what do they say? Imitation is the best form of flattery,” Snipes said. “I’m appreciative of getting the love, and [that] I’ve created something that others want to carry on and maybe put their own stamp on it.”
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