It’s safe to say that Marvel Studios’ Blade hasn’t had the easiest road, but things finally seem to be back on track. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Mahershala Ali provided an encouraging Blade update.
“We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you,” Mahershala Ali said. “I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.“
Since Blade was first announced back in 2019, the project has gone through several creative teams. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) was originally attached to direct Blade, but wound up stepping down, leaving Marvel to push pause on pre-production while they searched for a replacement. Yann Demange (White Boy Rick) later signed on to replace Tariq, with Delroy Lindo and Mia Goth joining the cast. Watchmen‘s Stacy Osei-Kuffour wrote the initial script, which has been rewritten by Michael Starrbury (When They See Us) and Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective), with Michael Green (Logan) tackling the latest draft.
Wild rumours about the script swirled last month, with one source saying that the story had at one point “morphed into a narrative led by women and filled with life lessons” with Blade “relegated to the fourth lead.” Mahershala Ali was reportedly ready to exit over the issues, which prompted Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige to go back to the drawing board. Ali made a brief voice cameo as Blade in the post-credit scene of Eternals but has yet to reappear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The troubles Blade has experienced are concerning, but this latest update gives me faith they’ll be able to pull it off in the end. Director Yann Demange teased last month that the film will be rated R. “They gave me the R, which is so important. … We are going to have fun, because Mahershala is such a deep actor,” Demange said. “I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen.“
The release of Blade was originally slated for February 14, 2025, but was pushed to November 7, 2025 last month.