It has been more than six years since Marvel Studios’ Blade movie was first announced to be in the works, with the iconic hero entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Mahershala Ali took the stage at Hall H during 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con to reveal he was set to play Blade, his film has yet to come to fruition.
In a new interview with Elle, Mia Goth, who was cast in the reboot on April 12, 2023, was asked if she had anything new to share about the Blade project. However, the outlet noted that “She has no update on the film’s beleaguered production,” while adding her following response: “It’s for the best that it’s taken the time that it has. They want to do it right.”
While the MCU timeline has featured Ali in a voice cameo in 2021’s Eternals, his Marvel character has yet to appear on-screen in a live-action project from Marvel Studios. An alternative iteration of Blade recently appeared in Marvel Zombies, where he was voiced by Todd Williams.
Bassam Tariq was initially hired to direct Ali’s MCU entry, but ended up departing the project on September 27, 2022, when The Hollywood Reporter revealed that “continued shifts” in their production schedule factored into his exit. On June 12, 2024, Yann Demange, who had been hired to replace Tariq, also stepped down.
As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter on June 20, 2024, the movie’s development hell revealed numerous aspects of the many versions of the script. The Blade report included how Goth was initially set to play a vampire villain named Lilith, “who wanted the blood of Blade’s daughter.”
The reboot was initially eyed to have a 1920s setting, but the focus is reportedly now looking to have the plot set in the present. Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre were previously part of the cast, while Ali and Goth are currently the only attached stars.
As The Multiverse Saga is currently in Phase 6, the focus is to finish the massive storytelling with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars slated as the remaining films. While the Blade movie is still being worked on, it’s unclear if Ali will portray the role in any of the 2026 or 2027 films.
If the movie ends up going forward, it wouldn’t be until Phase 7 at the very earliest, and that is if there is even a director hired at that point. As of right now, Marvel Studios has not set a new release date for Blade.
- Director
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Bassam Tariq
- Writers
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Stacy Osei-Kuffour