Highlights

• Blade's production has struggled, undergoing changes in cast, directors, and writers, potentially leading to a messy final product.
• Despite setbacks, Blade is expected to finally enter production later this year, aiming for a release in 2025.
• The film may face extensive scrutiny since it follows a beloved predecessor, with a star who wants the story to be worth telling.

Over the past two decades, Marvel Studios has built quite a name for itself in Hollywood. It's successfully done something most studios have tried to do, it has built a superhero empire. However, following COVID-19 and the setbacks the pandemic caused for Hollywood, Marvel Studios has hit numerous bumps from box office woes to quality concerns from critics and fans alike. However, one project in particular has been quite a mess for the studio, and it hasn't even entered production yet: Blade.

Marvel Studios first announced Blade in 2019 when Kevin Feige surprised fans at San Diego Comic-Con by bringing out Mahershala Ali. The actor stood by Feige and donned a hat with a Blade logo on it, revealing he'd been cast as the Daywalker. Since the announcement, the film has gone through numerous writers, is on its second director, and has reportedly lost some cast members that were previously announced. Despite all of this, Blade is expected to finally enter production later this year. Still, given all of its setbacks thus far, Marvel Studios' Blade seems likely to be a mess when it finally happens.

Marvel Studios' Messy Journey with Blade Thus Far

First announced in 2019 at SDCC, Blade has been one of the most anticipated titles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the time the movie was announced, the project didn't yet have a director or writer attached. Director Bassam Tariq would go on to join the project in July 2021, only to leave the project a little over a year later due to the film's continued shifting production schedule. Shortly after he joined, the film added its first co-star with Delroy Lindo. While Lindo's casting hasn't been commented on since, Tariq would then be replaced by Yann Demange in November 2022. The director has remained attached to the project as the studio has brought on numerous writers to try and perfect the screenplay. Reports have previously suggested that the film would serve as a period piece, while other reports indicated prior screenplays made Ali's Blade a co-star, rather than the lead.

Despite the film's constant push-backs and uncertainty with its script, Marvel Studios continued to add cast members with Mia Goth said to be joining the project as the villain. Like with Lindo, no further comments have officially been made regarding Goth's casting, but she's still expected to be a part of the new story. As if the script problems weren't messy enough, though, Blade's production was halted at least twice - once due to COVID and once due to the Writers Strike last year. With a new release date in tow, will Marvel Studios' Blade finally enter production later this year as planned?

The Daywalker Finally Enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Assuming the film suffers no further setbacks, Marvel Studios' Blade should begin production before the end of the year in order to hit its release date next year. Ali previously suggested the script woes were finally being taken of, telling Variety back in December that he was feeling encouraged about how the script was coming along. "I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. We’ll be back at it relatively soon."

The problem is, however, even if Blade does actually enter production this year, the project is still bound to be messy. While the current director seems to have a firm grip on what he'd like the project to be, having previously stated he's hopeful for an R-rating, the screenplay has been through so many hands now. It's reported to have gone through at least five writers, with Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) and Michael Green (Logan) being among them. With so many writers, has the script been completely rewritten? Or is each new writer simply tweaking parts of the screenplay? If so, will Blade be a pieced together mess? Marvel Studios has had issues with having to piece together bits on projects before, including Echo, which had to undergo extensive reshoots as rumors previously suggested it was "unreleasable." Even Captain America: Brave New World, which had already completed principal photography, is undergoing reshoots to try and tweak the film to make it stronger.

With so many problems behind the scenes, Marvel Studios' Blade seems likely to face extensive scrutiny from critics and fans alike when it is finally released. Although it is normal for fans to speculate about Marvel Studios and its lineup, Blade appears to be under more criticism than most others. This is partially because Blade has already received a well-received live-action adaptation. The Wesley Snipes-led Blade is still considered one of the best comic book movies to date, even if its sequels weren't received nearly as well. Trying to live up to what came before will be difficult, and with a star who wants to ensure the story is worth telling, Marvel Studios has its work cut out with Blade.

Marvel Studios' Blade is currently slated to hit theaters on November 7, 2025.