Mahershala Ali finally reunites with 'Blade' director for 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother'

Bassam Tariq was attached to direct Blade, with Ali set to play the titular vampire hunter

Mahershala Ali has reunited with Blade director Bassam Tariq for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, the action thriller that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend.

The film stars Ali as Latif, a devout Muslim and contract killer whose life is thrown into turmoil after his wife suddenly dies, leaving him to care for their three children, including an infant. His desperate search for breast milk for his daughter leads him into a dangerous confrontation with a far-right religious leader played by John Cho.

The project has a particularly significant connection to Marvel. Tariq was originally attached to direct Blade, with Ali set to play the titular vampire hunter. Tariq eventually left the project and the planned Marvel film went through further changes before ultimately falling apart.

Rather than ending their creative partnership there, Ali and Tariq developed Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, an original story exploring faith, fatherhood, grief and morality. Tariq had actually begun developing the screenplay before he was hired to direct Blade, with the project eventually giving the pair an opportunity to work together on their own terms.

Ali's action training for Blade also proved useful for the new film, which features elaborate fight sequences alongside its more intimate family drama. Tariq said he wanted the action to remain connected to the characters rather than feeling separate from the emotional story.

The film also draws heavily on Tariq's Muslim upbringing and experiences, with its title referencing a well-known Islamic teaching about the importance of mothers.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is scheduled for a US theatrical release on September 25, with Ali's performance and Tariq's direction already drawing attention following its TIFF premiere.