Mahershala Ali’s first leading role is finally set to debut, nearly 25 years after its initial production. The film, titled Taste the Revolution, is a mockumentary directed by Dan Klein, who also co-wrote the screenplay. Currently, rights to the film are available, and it is scheduled to premiere at the New Orleans Film Festival on October 19.
Originally filmed in 2001, Taste the Revolution was shelved following the September 11 attacks, leaving the footage untouched for years. Recently, the film was reedited into the final product that audiences will soon see. In this narrative, Ali portrays Mac Laslow, a revolutionary leader guiding young adults at a World Summit, where aspirations to change the world intermingle with the need for fun.
In the trailer, Ali asserts, “Every major movement has had a leader,” listing figures like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Moses. His character later passionately declares, “I put everything that I have into this revolution.”
Klein is making his feature directorial debut with Taste the Revolution, a project he began developing in 1999 alongside co-writers Colin Trevorrow and Brandon Krueger. The film’s production team includes Maury Loeb, David Linke, and Kevin Linke, with Ali, Klein, Trevorrow, and Phil Cohen serving as executive producers. The cast also features Alexander Bilu, Jeremy Dubin, Jen Nails, and Jeremy Beiler.
Reflecting on the film’s troubled history, Klein remarked, “Shortly after production concluded, 9/11 permanently altered the world, and our movie instantly felt like an out-of-touch period piece, so we buried it.” However, after Ali won his first Oscar for Moonlight and a second for Green Book, Klein shared a clip from the film with him. Ali’s enthusiastic response prompted the team to complete the project.
Klein recalled first meeting Ali in 1999 when he was about to finish NYU’s graduate acting program. Initially, Klein had envisioned a smaller role for Ali, but the aspiring actor impressed him during auditions for the lead.
As they revisited the footage years later, Klein noted that the themes of the film felt increasingly relevant, drawing parallels to movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Fyre Festival. He remarked, “Perhaps the movie will, unfortunately, be perpetually relevant, given that so many young people pass through this phase in life, where they possess little and have an abundance of time and passion, if not the perspective or insight to fully understand the nuances of the causes they champion.”
Since filming Taste the Revolution, Ali’s career has flourished, with roles in acclaimed films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Predators (2010), and the two-part Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2014 and 2015). Recent projects include Leave the World Behind, a voice role in the Spider-Verse franchise, and a co-starring role alongside Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth. Ali is also attached to the long-awaited Blade film, which fans hope will not take another two decades to reach theaters.
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