Movies News Talk
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Blade film, starring Mahershala Ali, is unlikely to come out anytime soon due to the loss of its second director.
At the Marvel Cinematic Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, Marvel revealed the new Blade film. Years later, though, the film's destiny seems less certain. The sole constant in the movie's progression has been Mahershala Ali's leading part. Ali was significantly involved in developing the story and was announced alongside the movie. Despite his best efforts, the film may never be released five years later as production hasn't begun.
There will inevitably be concerns about the project's rollout given the prolonged challenges it has encountered. The fact that Inhumans and several previous Marvel Movies with comparable problems were either canceled or remade for different platforms added to the rumors about Blade's future. The next MCU remake is under a lot of pressure after the critically praised Blade TV series and the successful Wesley Snipes flicks.
Although the future of the movie is still unknown, Marvel has not stated that Blade is no longer in development. Variety revealed in 2023 that Mahershala Ali's displeasure with the script's prior version prompted a revision. The movie has experienced multiple delays due to these and other issues, like as the 2023 strikes. The film presently has no director since Bassam Tariq left in June 2024, and the authors have changed several times.
Marvel still plans to release the movie in 2025. But after Tariq left, hardly much has been made public, with Kevin Feige and others just making brief remarks regarding Blade. In addition to his ongoing work on other projects, Mahershala Ali will soon begin filming the Jurassic World sequel, which Blade will be released in the same year. As stated in November 2023, Marvel's most recent release date is still scheduled for November 2025. This comes more than two years after November 3, 2023, the initial release date.
After Blade's protracted development hell, it makes sense that there are a lot of ideas suggesting the movie might never come out. There are rumors that Blade may play a supporting part in his own movie, with the historical context being altered. The project's vision doesn't seem to be constant. Even the movie's rating—which was first set at PG-13 but has since been contested and updated to the more mature R—has undergone changes over time.
The recent MCU movie Deadpool & Wolverine made light of these delays, demonstrating Marvel's understanding of how serious these problems are. But the studio hasn't really done anything to signal to the public that production is proceeding or that a decision has been made about the direction to follow. Kevin Feige talked about all of the 2025 Marvel films at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, with the exception of Blade. The movie went unmentioned, making it unclear how important it was to the studio.
Although it doesn't seem likely, Blade might still release on schedule. In contrast to other Marvel Movies, there are rumors that this one will be a smaller, darker, R-rated production that requires less post-production work. By shooting towards the end of the year, the studio could be able to finish the picture in time for its November 2025 release. After all, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is scheduled for release in July 2025, only began filming this week.
Still, things are not so cut and dry. Ali's schedule for the movie is challenging because he is working on a lot of other projects, such as the upcoming Jurassic World sequel. Furthermore, there doesn't appear to be a schedule in place for when filming will begin or even a director assigned to the project. Marvel seems to be putting more effort into other projects and may be reducing the pace of Blade's production. Because of this, the movie that has been in development for a long time might not resemble the final product.
Marvel has recently made a lot of great adjustments to its plans in an effort to win back the support of the public. The studio is now trying to get back to a more sustainable release schedule that is quality-focused, rather than concentrating on a never-ending stream of movies for Disney+ and theaters. This tactic can include drastically altering Blade's plans. Though it might take some time until this release makes its official premiere, hopefully Mahershala Ali's portrayal of the adored character will be seen by audiences at some point.