The writer of the Wesley Snipers Blade trilogy of films has said he is ready to answer the call from Marvel chief Kevin Feige to help sort out Mahershala Ali’s M.I.A. MCU reboot.
The once-upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film has gone through its fair share of roadblocks over the years, but it appears Blade is well and truly stalled with little hope that it will ever pick up where it left off.
Last month, rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to discuss his role in the project, and he let slip that whatever Blade once was is, in fact, no more. “I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru,” the DJ, who recently directed Shudder’s new sci-fi horror ASH, explained. “Maybe it’ll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho.”
The day prior to Flying Lotus’ tweet, Sinners costume designer Ruth E. Carter confirmed during an appearance on The John Campea Show that she was set to design costumes for Blade prior to production falling apart — and worse still, the film was supposed to be set in the 1920s, which would have undoubtedly made for some seriously cool costume design, not to mention production design as well.
And actor Delroy Lindo — who was also attached to star in the film alongside Ali as Blade for a period of time — also opened up about the demise of the production just days before Carter’s reveal.
“When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input,” he recently told Entertainment Weekly. “And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails.”
Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic Con back in 2019 and if all had gone to plan, fans would be looking forward to immersing themselves in the film this coming November. The project has cycled through several directors at this point, but none, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, have stuck with the film.
Now, speaking to ScreenRant, David S. Goyer, who wrote all three movies in the original Blade trilogy and even directed 2004’s Blade: Trinity, wondered what was taking so long.
“I would,” Goyer responded when asked if he’d write Marvel’s Blade reboot. “I’ve always loved the character and I love him. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines wondering, ‘What in the world is going on? Why is it taking so long?’ Because I’m a huge Marvel fan myself, and I’ve just been totally puzzled.”
It’s been just seven months since Blade was removed from Marvel’s release schedule — and the studio has yet to confirm a new release date for it. That said, a month after the film was pulled from the calendar, Feige made it known that Marvel Studios still planned to make a Blade movie happen some way, somehow.
“We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala’s take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You’re all up to date on what’s happening,” he said during an interview with Omelete in November 2024. “But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU.”
Meanwhile, MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine, which saw Snipes reprise his role as Blade in cameo form, was an enormous hit, making $1.3 billion at the global box office. Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds has called for Snipes’ Blade to get a send-off film akin to Hugh Jackman’s Logan.
Reynolds said that 1998’s Blade and its sequels created a market for superhero films to exist, and without them there wouldn’t be the likes of X-Men or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market,” Reynolds said on X/Twitter. “He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send-off.”
Earlier this month, Reynolds was reported to be in the “early stages” of trying to bring a Deadpool and X-Men movie to life. As reported by THR, Reynolds’ idea for this ensemble film would feature Deadpool, but not as the main character. Instead, he would share the spotlight with three of four other X-Men characters. In fact, it is said Reynolds wants these other characters to take center stage so they can be “used in unexpected ways.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
