Since its announcement at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the Blade reboot with Mahershala Ali has been stuck in development hell and fans have been waiting for an update. At Marvel’s Burbank headquarters, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke with journalists about the delays and reaffirmed the studio’s commitment to making a great movie that honors the character and Ali.
A Shift in Priorities: Quality Over Quantity
He bluntly addressed the delays, saying Marvel was in an “expansion period” with Disney+. “For the first time ever, quantity over quality,” he said, referring to the studio’s response to Disney’s request for more content on the streaming platform. That led to a huge slate of projects and Blade was one of the casualties of the studio’s overstretch. From 2007 to 2019, Marvel produced 51 hours of content. From 2019 to 2025, it doubled in half the time. “Too much,” he said. “We’ve since refocused on fewer, better.”
The Blade reboot was originally set for a November 2023 release but was put on hold as Marvel reworked its development process. Feige said the studio wouldn’t rush the project, especially since there’s so much riding on Ali’s take on the Daywalker, a role made famous by Wesley Snipes in the 1998-2004 trilogy and recently by him in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. “We didn’t want to just put a leather outfit on him and have him start killing vampires,” Feige said. “It had to be different. It was during the time we started saying, ‘Only accept amazing.’ And it wasn’t amazing at the time.”
Creative Challenges and Multiple Iterations
The Blade reboot has had creative problems, with multiple directors and writers. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) dropped out in September 2022, two months before filming was to start, and Yann Demange (’71) in June 2024. The script has gone through several drafts with writers like Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen) and Michael Starrbury working on the project. Feige said they explored “three or four” versions of the story, including two period pieces—one in the 1930s—before they landed on modern day. “We’ve settled on modern day and that’s what we’re doing.”
Right now, the script is being written by Eric Pearson who did Fantastic Four: First Steps and Thunderbolts. Feige said, “We have a writer on it now and I like it so far.” This is Marvel being careful not to make a “basic action movie” and instead make a movie that stands out in the MCU.
External and Internal Curveballs
Feige mentioned several outside and inside problems that affected Blade and other MCU projects. The COVID-19 pandemic, Hollywood strikes and Jonathan Majors leaving the role of Kang was a problem for Marvel. Feige said audience reactions are changing and they need to adjust their storylines. For example, they went from Kang to Doctor Doom as the main villain of the Multiverse Saga. These changes made Marvel relook at their plans and Blade was one of the projects affected.
In a funny moment, Feige said the delays happened in part because director Ryan Coogler borrowed costumes from Ruth E. Carter from an abandoned project called Blade for his vampire movie Sinners. "We said go ahead and take them, it’s fine — he’s a good friend" Feige joked. He clarified that Coogler, who is busy with Black Panther 3, won’t be directing Blade even though fans hope he would.
A Cautious Path Forward
Feige says Marvel is taking their time with Blade. The film was removed from the 2024 MCU release schedule in October, but Feige is still committed to the project. “We love the character. We love Mahershala’s take on him,” he said at D23 Brazil 2024. “Whenever we change direction with a project or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know.”
Not rushing the production is a lesson learned from recent MCU missteps like The Marvels and Thunderbolts, which didn’t do well at the box office. Feige’s modern-day setting and unique story could mean Blade plays a big part in the MCU’s supernatural phase and ties into projects like Werewolf by Night. But with no director or release date announced, fans may have to wait until after Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027 for Ali’s Blade to take center stage.
Source: Variety