Summary
TheBlademovie did not even earn a mention at Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel. The upcomingBlademovie, whichwill star Mahershala Aliand will introduce the character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been trapped in development hell for some time, and there seems to be little sign of a resolution. Though it was meant to begin filming in Summer 2023, it has been continuously delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, production issues, and scheduling conflicts.
At the MarvelSDCCpanel, whereScreen Rantwas in attendance, Kevin Feige and the Marvel Studios cast and crew shared details about numerous projects, includingAvengers,Fantastic Four, andThunderbolts, butthey failed to mention Ali’s slow-progressingBladereboot. There continues to be no word about its development, and it may remain in Hollywood purgatory for the foreseeable future.
What Happened To The Blade Reboot?
Will Mahershala Ali’s Blade Ever Be Released?
When it was first announced,theBladerebootappeared to be a perfect fit for Marvel Studios. Ali is a brilliant and award-winning actor, having taken home two Oscars for his work onMoonlight(2017) andGreen Book(2019). Attaching the star to an already-proven franchise was a natural decision, given that the original movies earned over $415 million from 1998 to 2005. Ali’s reboot could easily have found his niche within the universe, especially after the Marvel Cinematic Universe added a supernatural horror side to its universe through theWerewolf by Nightspecial.
What’s Going On With Marvel’s Blade Movie
Though production on the film has been plagued with delays and crew changes, the MCU’s Blade reboot is still very much expected to go on.
Unfortunately, the production has been addled by a series of unfortunate issues.It was first announced in 2019, and Ali was already attached to the project. He was then introduced to the universe itself inEternals(2021) in a small, off-screen cameo role. There was an intention of following up with a movie, butEternalsunderperformed at the box office, earning only $400 million on a budget of over $200 million. That necessitated a retooling of Ali’s own project, which beganBlade’s painful journey into developmental hell.
After earning a November 2023 release date, filming delays plagued the movie and eventually sparked the director electing to leave the project entirely. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed filming further, and a second director left in June 2024. While Marvel announced that the movie will be released on June 27, 2025,it is unlikely that Marvel will be able to meet the deadlinewhile searching for a new director. WithBladestill struggling, Marvel’s refusal to address the movie at the San Diego Comic-Con panel is a worrying sign of its future.
Blade
Cast
Marvel Studios' Blade sees the return of the iconic vampire hunter more than two decades after Wesley Snipes first played the character in live-action. Starring Mahershala Ali as Eric Brooks, the Blade reboot officially introduces vampires to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Eternals' second post-credits scene teased the Daywalker’s MCU debut.
