Mahershala Ali directly involved with hiring Black female writer for Blade remake

Mahershala Ali was reportedly directly involved with hiring Black writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour to pen the Blade remake.

Back in 2019, it was announced that the Oscar-winning actor would play the latest incarnation of the vampire-killing anti-hero in the Marvel Studios blockbuster, taking over from Wesley Snipes, who portrayed the comic-book character in the early 2000s.

On Friday, it was revealed that Emmy nominee Osei-Kuffour would be writing the script for the reboot, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Ali was heavily involved in the hiring process.

Only Black writers were seriously considered for the position, and the Oscar winner helped studio bosses during the diligent six-month-long search.

Osei-Kuffour has made history by becoming the first Black female writer on a Marvel movie, following in the footsteps of Nia DaCosta, who is the studio's first Black woman director. It was announced last year that she's helming the upcoming sequel Captain Marvel 2.

The screenwriter was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2019 for her work on the comedy series PEN15, and also worked as a story editor on the critically acclaimed HBO superhero drama Watchmen, as well as the comedy show Run, and Amazon drama series Hunters.

Marvel was reportedly keen to showcase their focus on diversity and representation when hiring the cast and crew of the upcoming Blade reboot as it features a person of colour as the lead.

David S. Goyer wrote the original Blade trilogy movies, which were released in 1998, 2002, and 2004, with filmmakers Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro, and Goyer himself helming the respective instalments.