How Bassam Tariq moved from the stalled Blade reboot to a new Mahershala Ali thriller
Bassam Tariq’s Houston-set film Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars Mahershala Ali as Latif, a devout Muslim who works as a contract killer and sees his violence as divine retribution. In an interview in Toronto, Tariq discussed the character’s sword and its connection to Latif’s religious code.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, a Houston-set film written and directed by Bassam Tariq, stars Mahershala Ali as Latif, a devout Muslim who is also a contract killer. The character describes himself as a righteous killer and justifies his violence as divine retribution against people he believes have offended God.
Latif uses a sword as part of his identity and moral code. Tariq said the weapon was not intended as a reference to Ali’s previous attachment to Marvel’s Blade. Instead, he connected it to the character’s relationship with faith and the way Latif understands his actions.
“You are forced to strike with intention when you use a sword,” Tariq said in a recent interview in Toronto. The remark was presented as an explanation of how the weapon shapes Latif’s conduct and his negotiation with religious belief.
The film follows Tariq’s move to a new project after his involvement with the Blade reboot stalled, according to the supplied report. The report’s headline quotes Tariq saying he is happier he made this movie.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
How does Latif’s self-description as a righteous killer shape the film’s treatment of religious conviction?
What conditions led Tariq’s involvement with the Blade reboot to stall?
How might the sword’s required intentionality affect the film’s portrayal of violence?
Who gets to define which actions count as divine retribution within Latif’s moral system?
What might Tariq’s stated satisfaction with the new film suggest about the creative trade-offs involved in changing projects?
YOUR QUESTION
Does this story leave you with another question?
Send us the question the report did not answer. It may become the next question IAQ investigates.
GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · SEPTEMBER 2026