Not quite two years ago Kevin Feige announced that Marvel would be rebooting the Blade franchise. It was during the San Diego Comic-Con, at Marvel’s Phase 4 panel. To the cheers of vampire lovers everywhere, Mahershala Ali, who played MCU villain Cottonmouth in Netflix's Luke Cage, took the stage to announce his casting in the upcoming MCU Blade movie. He will be playing the titular character, who was originally portrayed by Wesley Snipes.
Since then fans have been desperately waiting for further news about the film. There have only been two major updates since the Phase 4 panel announcement. The first was the film’s title. Marvel is going with a slight update for their reboot, possibly hinting at a more sleek and refined style for the new film. The new title gives off some heavy Buffy vibes, but that's a good thing. It's called Blade, the Vampire Slayer.
Bringing Back the Daywalker
More recently Marvel Studios has announced that they, with the assistance of Ali, have found a writer. Stacy Osei-Kuffour, who worked on HBO’s Watchmen, will write the screenplay for Blade, the Vampire Slayer. She is set to be the first Black woman to write a Marvel movie, and she is apparently working with the film’s producers to find a director.
A star and a writer are big components of a movie, but there’s plenty for fans to still wonder about. There’s been no mention yet of potential directors or possible directions for the film’s plot. One of the biggest questions remaining unanswered is whether or not Marvel Studios will let Blade, the Vampire Slayer be R-rated.
Wasn’t ’98 Great?
Fans of the original Blade movies certainly perked up when Feige made the reboot announcement two years ago, but many of them wondered how the dark and violent world of Blade would fit into the family-friendly image the MCU has cultivated so far. Each of the original Blade movies had an R rating, and they made liberal use of what that rating allowed.
Blade was jam-packed with hyper-stylized violence. The blood and gore covered more and more of the screen as the trilogy progressed. Blade: Trinity in particular was an absolute bloodbath. The violence doesn’t just work for Blade. It is a necessary component. Any good vampire story needs a lot of blood.
The character of Blade and the world around him are drenched in vampire tropes. He himself is a half-vampire who can walk in daylight. Blade's mother was murdered by vampires, and his burning desire for revenge is the basic, driving motivation for his character. Violence for Blade and in Blade movies isn't just set-dressing, it is a thematically important and necessary element of the story.
Nothing in the MCU has yet come close to the violence shown in any of the previous Blade films. Fans worry that Blade inside the MCU will be watered-down and bloodless. Transforming the Daywalker into another quippy action hero whose conflicts are solved with a minimum of violence and a single MPAA-allowed F-bomb will fundamentally undercut what made Blade a cult hit in the first place.
Hope on the Horizon
Even though no MCU movie has gone down the rated R path yet, Blade fans have cause for hope. A previous Blade actor and his new franchise are already paving the way for R-rated MCU movies.
Ryan Reynolds played Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity. Reynolds’ character in that movie reminded many comics fans of a certain potty-mouthed hitman. Reynolds himself has said that his interest in Deadpool came after his Hannibal King was compared to the character.
Deadpool and its sequel both received an R rating. Then Marvel bought Fox and reacquired the character. Kevin Feige already confirmed that Deadpool 3 will be R-rated like its predecessors. His declaration seems like a pretty clear signal Marvel Studios isn’t entirely opposed to including R-rated films in the MCU.
What the Future Holds
For now, fans will just have to wait and see. Marvel Studios has made it clear that the Blade reboot will not be a part of Phase 4. It could be a long time before Ali gets to bring the Daywalker back to the big screen. However, a rumor started by Blade creator Marv Wolfman places the new film’s release in 2022.
There’s a lot to be optimistic about. Marvel has a chance to diversify its roster by taking a different approach with this movie, and the MCU has already seen the benefits of trying something new. Aside from an excellent star and top-notch writer, the new film also has the blessing of Wesley Snipes. He might even appear in a cameo.
For anyone who’s been wanting to see more mature, adult-oriented content in the MCU, this is a very exciting time. But for Blade, the Vampire Slayer to fully capitalize on this opportunity and to meet the expectation of fans, the film needs to pursue an R rating.