After five years of a whole lot of nothing, Marvel has finally decided Blade isn’t ready to come out of the shadows. Marvel Studios has pulled its Blade reboot from the release calendar. It had been set to open on November 7th 2025.
Mahershala Ali has been tied to the Blade role since first announced in 2019. However, he’s been the only stable member of project, which has lost multiple directors and stars, while undergoing a series of rewrites to try and crack the Daywalker’s story. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) was the first director attached, followed by Yann Demange (White Boy Rick), who dropped out last summer.
Michael Green, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury, Beau DeMayo and Nic Pizzolatto have all given the screenplay a shot. The multiple rewrites caused further delays and also led to cast members dropping out, including Delroy Lindo, Mia Goth, and Rebel Ridge breakout Aaron Pierre. Ali has also reportedly become skeptical of the project, but remains aboard for now. Eric Pearson (The Fantastic Four) is writing the current version of the script.
Waiting in the wings is Wesley Snipes, star of the massively popular Blade movies between 1998 and 2004. Snipes’ return to the role in Deadpool & Wolverine has won over fans both new and old, leading many (including yours truly) to want him back for a true sequel.
Meanwhile, Marvel also dated three untitled projects for Feb. 18th 2028, May 5th 2028 and Nov. 10th 2028. Given that Disney CEO Bob Iger has said to expect only a maximum of three Marvel films per year, this is likely all for that year. [Variety]
