Marvel's Blade Reboot Faces Ongoing Delays and Uncertainty

The screenwriter behind the Wesley Snipes Blade trilogy has expressed readiness to assist Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in reviving Mahershala Ali’s stalled MCU reboot.

The anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe project has encountered numerous obstacles over time, leaving Blade seemingly abandoned with little prospect of resuming production.

Last month, rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to share insights about his involvement, revealing that the Blade project he was attached to has effectively collapsed. "I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru," the DJ, who recently helmed Shudder’s sci-fi horror ASH, stated. "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."

The day before Flying Lotus’ post, Sinners costume designer Ruth E. Carter confirmed during an appearance on The John Campea Show that she was tasked with creating costumes for Blade before the production disintegrated. Notably, the film was set to take place in the 1920s, promising striking costume and production design.

Actor Delroy Lindo, previously cast alongside Ali as Blade, also recently discussed the project’s collapse in the days leading up to Carter’s comments.

“When Marvel approached me, they seemed genuinely open to my ideas,” he shared with Entertainment Weekly. “Through discussions with producers, the writer, and the director at the time, everything pointed toward a collaborative process. The concept was thrilling, as was the character we were shaping. But for reasons unknown, it all fell apart.”

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2019, with an original release planned for this November. The project has seen multiple directors, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, come and go without staying on board.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, David S. Goyer, writer of the original Blade trilogy and director of 2004’s Blade: Trinity, questioned the prolonged delays.

“I’d be happy to,” Goyer said when asked about writing Marvel’s Blade reboot. “I’ve always been fond of the character and remain a huge Marvel fan. I’ve been on the sidelines, wondering, ‘What’s causing these holdups? Why is it taking so long?’ I’m genuinely perplexed.”

It’s been seven months since Blade was removed from Marvel’s release schedule, and no new release date has been announced. However, a month after the film was pulled, Feige emphasized Marvel’s commitment to bringing Blade to the MCU.

“We are dedicated to Blade. We admire the character and Mahershala’s interpretation of him. Rest assured, whenever we adjust a project’s direction or work out its place in our slate, we keep the audience informed. You’re fully updated on the situation,” Feige noted in an interview with Omelete in November 2024. “The character will absolutely appear in the MCU.”

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The MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which featured Snipes reprising his role as Blade in a cameo, grossed $1.3 billion globally. Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has advocated for a standalone Blade film to honor Snipes, similar to Hugh Jackman’s Logan.

Reynolds emphasized that the 1998 Blade and its sequels laid the foundation for superhero cinema, enabling the creation of the X-Men franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“Blade established a market for superhero films, paving the way for the Fox Marvel Universe and the MCU,” Reynolds posted on X/Twitter. “He’s the cornerstone of Marvel’s cinematic legacy. Please retweet for a Logan-style farewell.”

Reports earlier this month, per THR, indicate Reynolds is in the preliminary stages of developing a Deadpool and X-Men ensemble film. The concept would position Deadpool as a supporting character, sharing the spotlight with three or four X-Men characters, who would take center stage in surprising ways.