Blade delayed by Marvel Studios due to writers strike

Marvel Studios was set to begin production on Blade next month in Atlanta, but THR has reported that the project has been delayed due to the ongoing writers strike.

Cast and crew members on Blade are being informed of the delay this afternoon, with production set to restart once the writers strike is over. Marvel recently hired True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto to work on the script. Pizzolatto had reportedly been working off the existing script by Michael Starrbury (When They See Us) for several weeks, but an insider told THR that “time simply ran out.“

Marvel movies typically involve a lot of story changes during production, so the studio likely didn’t feel confident enough to start shooting Blade with the existing script. Although Marvel has delayed Blade, they do have several projects currently shooting, including Captain America: New World Order, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Wonder Man. In the case of the Captain America sequel, a rival production executive theorized to THR that Marvel may just shoot what they can, “then wait for the reshoots.” Marvel movies always plan on reshoots, but if the strike lasts a particularly long time, those reshoots may have to wait a while. Deadpool 3 is slated to start shooting later this month in London, with Thunderbolts eyeing a June start date. It remains to be seen if these projects will stay on track.

Yann Demange (White Boy Rick) is set to direct Blade for Marvel. In addition to Mahershala Ali, Blade will also star Delroy Lindo and Mia Goth. The character of Blade was originally created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan for The Tomb of Dracula #10 in 1973. Blade is a half-mortal, half-immortal who hunts vampires in order to avenge his mother, who was killed by a vampire as she gave birth to him. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) was originally attached to direct Blade, but he wound up stepping down last year, leaving Marvel to push pause on pre-production while they searched for a replacement.

Blade is slated for a September 6, 2024 release, but that could change depending on how long the writers strike lasts.