It’s been nearly six years since Marvel Studios announced that film projects like “Eternals,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” were in production during its 2019 presentation at San Diego Comic-Con. But while those projects celebrated premieres in 2021 and 2022, one film announced during the presentation has remained notably unreleased.
Alongside its Disney+ series “WandaVision,” “Loki” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldiers,” Marvel Studios similarly revealed that production was underway on a reboot of Marvel’s 1998 film, “Blade,” during its Comic-Con presentation. At the time, the film’s production was projected to debut in the coming years, with Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali already tapped to star in the film’s titular role, originally portrayed, albeit a different version, by Wesley Snipes.
Now, the future of Marvel Studios’ “Blade” reboot, set in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is up in the air. Despite continued troubles finalizing a script and locking in a director, Mahershala Ali confirmed that he is still very much interested in that role, telling Variety: “Call Marvel. I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready.”
The Trouble Production History of Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’’ Reboot
Despite being one of Marvel Studios’ most highly-anticipated projects when it was announced, “Blade” initially struggled to find a director to helm the reboot. Marvel originally tapped “Ghosts of Sugar Land” director Bassam Tariq for the film, though he later left the production in September 2022 citing “continued shifts in [Marvel’s] production schedule. At the time, “Blade” was expected to release in November 2023.
French director Yann Demange (“White Boy Rick”), was later attached to the project, though he too left the film in June 2024, similarly unhappy with its delayed production.
GettyWhile finding a director has certainly stalled production on Marvel’s “Blade” reboot, finding a screenwriter has only made matters worse. Over the last six years, a number of writers have taken a stab at putting together a script for the film, including Michael Green (“Logan”), Stacy Osei-Kuffour (“Watchmen”), Michael Starrbury (“The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete”), Beau De Mayo (“The Witcher”), Nic Pizzolato (“True Detective”) and, most recently, Eric Pearson (“The Fantastic Four”).
In 2024, the film was quietly removed from Marvel Studio’s lineup, and its projected November 7, 2025 release date cancelled.
Mahershala Ali Says He’s Still ‘Ready’ to Play Blade
Since its initial announcement in 2019, the only mention of Eric Brooks, Marvel’s half-human/half-vampire hero better known as Blade, has been a brief cameo from Wesley Snipes in 2024’s “Deadpool vs. Wolverine,” where Snipes reprised his 1998 role.
A recent update from the original “Blade” trilogy writer, David Goyer, however, revealed that production on the reboot might finally be moving forward at Marvel Studios. Noting Marvel’s inability to lock down a screenwriter for the project, Goyer reported that he reached out to see if they needed any help, only to receive an exciting update.
“I had my agent call Marvel say, ‘Do you guys need any help?’ And they said, ‘We love you, but we think we’ve cracked it now, and we’re in a good place,” Goyer told Variety in May. The news followed a November 2024 comment from Marvel boss Kevin Feige, who told fans he was “still committed” to the project at Disney’s D23 Brazil event.
“We love the character. We love Mahershala’s take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You’re all up to date on what’s happening,” added Feige.
Despite uncertainties surrounding the future of “Blade,” Mahershala Ali has been vocal about his continued interest in bringing the “Daywalker” to the MCU.
“I would love for ‘Blade’ to happen; we’ll see, I don’t know where Marvel is at right now. I’m just looking for the next great part, I really am,” said Ali in an interview with Variety.
GettyThe actor became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar when he took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2017 for his work on “Moonlight.” He won the award again in 2019 after starring in “Green Book” alongside Viggo Mortensen. On June 22, Ali attended the premiere of his latest project, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” alongside co-stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend.
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Academy Award Winner Wants in on Marvel Reboot