What on Earth is happening with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Blade movie? Will the movie ever be made, let along released?
In this article, I’m going to go over what’s happened with this movie and why it’s been such a tough film to get made. There’s so much happened with the development of the MCU Blade movie, and let me tell you, a lot has happened.
How did Mahershala Ali get the Blade role in the MCU?
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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The first thing to go over is how Mahershala Ali was cast as Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. During an interview on The Tight Rope Podcast, Ali recalled asking his agent about the status of Blade on the day that his TV show Luke Cage premiered on Netflix.
The Oscar-winning actor played the show’s villain, Cottonmouth, in the Marvel show, but he was already thinking about his next Marvel role, which he wanted to be Eric Brooks, the half-vampire “day-walker” whom Wesley Snipes previously played to great acclaim in three films.
Ali said he “kept hearing they were trying to find a way to remake” Blade, and the fact that he was now in the Marvel sphere allowed him to ask for an update and declare his interest in the part.
“Since they were having conversations about bringing it back into being, I just wanted to be considered for it because I had definitely a connection, at least in my mind, to Wesley Snipes going back to high school,” he said.
“People used to joke and say that we looked alike and all this stuff. I just brought it up as someone who really wanted to take on that [Blade] role and tackle that.”
It certainly seemed as though Marvel Studios thought that Ali was the right person to play Blade in the MCU, as Kevin Feige went ahead and offered him the part. The news was then announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.
Who is directing the MCU Blade movie?
Credit: Netflix
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So, Marvel had found the movie’s star, but what about the film’s director? Who would helm this project? Well, Marvel thought they had found the right person for the job in Bassam Tariq, and he was attached to the project for quite some time.
However, in September 2022, it was revealed that Tariq had left the project, and he was then replaced by was going to be replaced by Yann Demange, who is still attached to the project as this article is being written. However, seeing how people have been dropping like flies from this movie, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to see another change in director.
That said, Demange is reportedly going to start shooting the picture this summer in Mexico, which is fantastic news, and it means that the movie could still hit its scheduled release date of November 7th, 2025. The film has been delayed quite a few times, but you know what they say: “A delayed movie is eventually good, a rushed movie is bad forever.”
I’m paraphrasing Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, but it still stands in the world of cinemas just as much as it does in the world of video games. I would rather them get the script spot on and then start shooting the movie in the best circumstances possible.
There were also delays caused by the Writers’ Strike, which delayed a bunch of movies. The script has also been rewritten a number of times. There were drafts of the script that Ali was reportedly very much against, and it seems as though they have got the script almost right.
Problems with the movie’s script
Credit: Marvel Studios
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That said, there have been reports that the movie’s script is being rewritten for a fifth time, which could be a record, even at Marvel Studios.
As far as the script was concerned, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige hired Logan writer Michael Green to rebuild the story from start to finish after Ali voiced his frustrations with how the script was turning out. The hope was that the Oscar-nominated writer would reinvigorate the project and convince the Oscar-winning Ali to stay on board.
There had been reports that Mahershala Ali was days away from quitting the picture. However, he’s stayed with it after the script rewrites, and I think that’s really important. Ali is a terrific actor, and he’s also someone that people will go to the cinema to watch play a character a character like Marvel Studios’ Blade.
I personally think it’s brilliant casting, and I really hope we get to see him play the role for years to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who else will star in this MCU Blade movie?
Credit: Marvel Studios
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As for the rest of the cast, it had been announced that the movie was going to star Mia Goth (Pearl), Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad). There were also reports that Kit Harington might be turning up in the movie as Dane Whitman.
However, he recently revealed that he hasn’t been contacted by Marvel Studios for future appearances as the character he played in the Eternals movie. I think it would be great to see him in the movie, as the two characters have a lot to do with one another in the comics, and I personally like Harington in the role.
As for the rest of the previously announced cast, Aaron Pierre revealed in March 2024 that he would no longer be involved in the picture, which is a shame because he’s bloody brilliant!
However, there is a rumour making the rounds (via ComicBookMovie.com) that Wesley Snipes could appear in the movie in an undisclosed role, which I think would be an excellent casting choice. I’m not sure whether I’d want him to appear as an alternate version of Blade because, in all honesty, I’m a bit done with the whole Multiverse thing.
However, I would be interested to see what Marvel’s plans would be with Snipes. I think he’s a much better actor than people give him credit for, and there are a whole bunch of roles in the MCU that he’d be really suited for. I like him as a version of Dracula, for instance.
When will Blade be released?
Credit: Marvel Studios
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Anyway, all of that is to say that the MCU Blade movie is on track and will be shooting relatively soon. I, for one, cannot wait to watch this movie. It’s easily my most anticipated MCU movie, and it looks like it’ll be kicking off Marvel’s Phase 6. And I forgot to add that this movie will reportedly be R-rated, which I think is the only way to do the character justice.
You can make a movie all about vampires without there being buckets of blood, and blood almost automatically makes a movie R-rated, so you might as well really lean into it.
What do you make of this news? Are you looking forward to watching Mahershala Ali play Blade in the MCU when this movie is finally released?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this report.
The Blade movie will hopefully be released in cinemas on November 7th, 2025.
