In a world before the MCU, Marvel heroes still appeared on the big screen. The X-Men, Daredevil, and The Fantastic Four had their own movies before the MCU became established, with varying amounts of success. In a surprising move, the vampire-killing badass Blade also made it to the big screen for a trilogy of films. Blood-soaked and packed with snark, the original Blade movies became a surprising hit and created an iconic role for star Wesley Snipes.
Now, Marvel and Disney are looking to bring Blade back in a reboot of the franchise starring Mahershala Ali. With other projects like Werewolf By Night leaning toward a darker side of the MCU, it looks like a more adult side of the MCU is on the horizon. However, the new movie has had nothing but issues almost from day one, so what has been happening behind the scenes, and what does it mean for the MCU?
The original Blade was released in 1998 and starred Wesley Snipes as the half-human half-vampire Dhampir or Daywalker. After a vampire bit his mother before giving birth to him, Blade was imbued with the strength and speed of a vampire with none of their weaknesses. The only downside is that he needs to drink blood. To decrease his thirst he takes a serum concocted to dampen the craving. The film has become iconic, with the blood rave scene especially making a significant impact on pop culture.
The film spawned 2 sequels, with the second film helmed by Guillermo Del Toro, while the third also featured Ryan Reynolds. David S. Goyer wrote all three and all saw Snipes brandishing a sword and dryly dispatching creatures of the night into explosions of blood and ash.
Since the MCU came together there have been questions surrounding a possible return or reboot of the character. The idea was first discussed as an actual possibility by MCU leader Kevin Feige in 2016 when he said there was potential for the character to show up in many places due to the expanding nature of the MCU. Over the years the idea was brought up a few times, always positively until it was finally announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that a new Blade film was in the works. It was also announced that Mahershala Ali would be taking up the Blade mantle in the reboot.
Initially, the film was set to begin production in September 2021, wrap in December of that year, and then be released in the summer of 2022. In May 2021 it was announced that production would be pushed back in order for further work to be done on the script. The new production start date was set for July 2022 and in the fall of 2021 director Bassam Tariq was confirmed to be on board for the project. Shortly following this announcement it was confirmed that Delroy Lindo would join the cast in an unknown role.
Things seemed to be moving forward with the production, the start of filming was pushed back by a month to August 2022 and actor Aaron Pierre was also announced to have joined the cast. The start date then moved back up to July 2022 and the release date was set for November 2023. This didn't last long however as production was soon pushed back yet again to October 2022. This wasn't the only setback during this time period because director Bassam Tariq stepped down from the project due to the constantly shifting production dates.
Although Tariq stepped down as director, he is still expected to stay on board as a producer. Shortly after this blow, it was announced that a new writer, Beau DeMayo, was now attached to the film and had written the current script. The most recent update came in mid-October 2022 when it was announced that the production is now scheduled to start in early 2023 with a release date in September 2024. As yet, no director is attached to the project, and it appears that Marvel is slowing down their search in order to get the right fit.
What does all this turbulence say about the reboot? It could point to deeper troubles. It's possible that this constant slew of delays hints at a deeper issue with the project or the studio. The most recent delay has caused numerous other projects that rain the works to also be delayed. Deadpool 3 is now set for November 2024, Fantastic Four has moved from 2024 to February 2025, and Avengers: Secret Wars has been pushed back to spring 2026. However, this also points to the possible importance of Blade in Phase 5 of the MCU.
While it's impossible to fully know what is happening behind the scenes, the delays could also be due to the studios' wish to get the perfect fit for the directors' chair. Rebooting a hugely popular franchise with an iconic lead performance is a tricky situation at the best of times, let alone when it has the potential to play a large part in a huge multimedia universe of characters and stories. Whatever the truth behind the delays, let's hope that whoever comes on board sticks around because a Blade reboot has the potential to open a whole new world of horror and darker content in the MCU.