The Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot of Blade has had a long, rough ride through the development process, and as of right now it doesn’t even have a director attached (Jeymes Samuel, a.k.a. The Bullitts, who previously directed the Netflix Western The Harder They Fall and the Biblical dramedy The Book of Clarence, was recently rumored for the job, but he said there was no truth to the rumor). So there probably weren’t many Marvel fans who were expecting the movie to stick with its November 7, 2025 release date – and therefore, few will be surprised or disappointed to hear that Blade has indeed been bumped out of 2025. Deadline reports that Disney will be releasing 20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands on November 7, 2025 instead of Marvel’s vampire slayer movie.
The fact that there was going to be a Blade reboot as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring Mashershala Ali in the title role, came as a huge surprise when the announcement was made at the San Diego Comic-Con back in July of 2019… but we’ve passed the five year anniversary of that announcement, and there’s still no sign that Blade will be filming any time soon. The closest we’ve gotten is Ali making a vocal cameo as the character at the end of Eternals back in 2021. We recently heard a rumor that Ali is getting “increasingly frustrated” with the long development process on this one. Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre have been cast alongside Ali as the years have gone by, but are no longer involved, as their characters have apparently been written out. Co-star Mia Goth, who is rumored to be playing the villainous Lilith, is still attached – and she has said that she’s fine with the delays, because it shows that Marvel really cares about the project. Two directors, Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange, have dropped out along the way.
As for Predator: Badlands, this one is coming our way from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg, making him the first filmmaker to take the helm of two films in the Predator franchise. Trachtenberg crafted the story, which was then fleshed out into a screenplay by Prey screenwriter Patrick Aison.
According to a casting call, Predator: Badlands has the following synopsis: A groundbreaking film in which one of the two main storylines delves into the intricate bond of two very different sisters, their familial ties are put to the ultimate test as they pursue divergent paths and missions. We’ve previously heard that the story is set sometime in the future.
The casting call was searching for a lead actress who could take on the dual role of twin sisters Thia and Tessa: This casting is for a dual character, and describes both characters. Character identifies as female or non-binary, open ethnicity, mid 20s – mid 40s. Thia has spent most of her life in a laboratory and is now embarking on her first big adventure in the world. She is incredibly smart, witty, enthusiastic, and unflappable. She has an innate disregard for danger, not because she’s fearless, but simply because she’s naive. Strong comedy chops required. // The other sister, Tessa, has a militant intensity when it comes to achieving her family’s goals and mission objectives. She will not let anything get in her way, not even her twin sister.
Super 8‘s Elle Fanning stars in the film, which went into production in New Zealand earlier this year.
What do you think of Predator: Badlands bumping Blade out of its November 2025 release date? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
While taking Blade off of their schedule, Disney revealed that they have scheduled three untitled Marvel movies for release on February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028.