Mahershala Ali is still set to play the title role in the upcoming Blade reboot, but the movie may still be facing a significant delay.
Hard as it may be to beieve, it's been over four years since Marvel first announced plans for a Blade reboot starring the Academy Award-winning Green Book star during San Diego Comic-Con, and if reports are accurate, the project has been plagued by production woes ever since.
A recent exposé outlined some of the (supposed) issues the project has been faced with over the past while, and the studio was said to be having a hard time nailing down Blade's story (which isn't exactly a major revelation given the amount of writers and directors that have been attached at various points).
It was also claimed that star Mahershala Ali threatened to depart the movie at one point due to frustrations with the script.
Apparently, some early drafts saw Ali's new take on the Daywalker "relegated to third or fourth lead" in his own movie, and while this has been disputed by a writer who worked on a draft prior to the strikes (more here), it's clear that this production has been anything but plain sailing.
Last night, a rumor did the rounds online that Ali has finally had enough, and left the movie after a falling out with Kevin Feige. We didn't put too much stock in it at the time, and Jeff Sneider said he believes Ali is still very much on board in the latest edition of his Newsletter.
Sneider seems confident that Ali is happy with where the script is now, but that doesn't mean Blade will enter production anytime soon, as he's also heard that it could realistically end up being pushed into 2026, with The Fantastic Four moving into its (unconfirmed) July 25, 2025 release date.
It's worth noting that Ali's last update during an interview with EW was a positive one.
“We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you. I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.”
“I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that,” he added. “So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”
Following numerous drafts and screenwriters, Logan and Alien: Covenant scribe Michael Green recently signed on to pen the script.
Yann Demange (who stepped in to replace Tariq earlier this year) is still on board to direct, and has previously confirmed that the movie will indeed be rated R.
"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," said the filmmaker. "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."
Blade will also star Aaron Pierre, Delroy Lindo, and Mia Goth.