Mahershala Ali’s "Blade": The Long-Awaited Marvel Reboot
It has been nearly six years since Mahershala Ali made a splash at Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation during San Diego Comic-Con. At that event, producer Kevin Feige revealed that the acclaimed, two-time Oscar-winning actor would take on the iconic role of Blade, a vampire hunter originally portrayed by Wesley Snipes. This reboot aims to integrate Blade into the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Despite the excitement surrounding the project, "Blade" has faced a rocky road, including changes in directors, cast alterations, and multiple delays. Nevertheless, Ali expressed his eagerness to start filming. In a recent interview with Variety at the New York premiere of his latest film, "Jurassic World Rebirth," he stated, “Call Marvel. I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready.”
Marvel Studios first announced the "Blade" reboot back in 2019, alongside a lineup of anticipated projects like the Disney Plus series "WandaVision," "Loki," and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," as well as blockbuster films such as "Eternals," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." While many of these projects have successfully launched, "Blade" has encountered significant hurdles.
In October 2022, Disney removed "Blade" from its release calendar, which had originally slated the film for a November 7, 2025 release. This decision came on the heels of several delays, with the film’s first official release date having been set for November 3, 2023. The project initially saw filmmaker Bassam Tariq attached to direct, but he departed in September 2022, just two months before production was set to begin. Since then, director Yann Demanger has also joined and exited the project.
Actors Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo were expected to star alongside Ali, but both have since stepped away from the film. Lindo commented on the project’s challenges, saying, “It was really exciting conceptually, but for whatever reason, it just went off the rails,” during an interview with Entertainment Weekly in April.
Despite these setbacks, Kevin Feige reassured fans at Disney’s D23 Brazil event in November, stating that Marvel Studios remains “committed” to "Blade." He emphasized, “We love the character. We love Mahershala’s take on him. 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.”
Ali’s most recent update on the film came in December 2023, where he mentioned he is “really encouraged with the direction of the project” and hinted that filming would resume “relatively soon.”
As fans eagerly await the revival of this beloved character, the anticipation builds for what promises to be an electrifying addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Stay tuned for more updates on Mahershala Ali’s "Blade" as the project continues to evolve.
