It seems as though the highly-anticipated Blade movie has finally been drained of all its blood. The once-upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film has faced numerous roadblocks over the years, but it appears the project has officially stalled with little hope of resuming. This means no Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker, which could be the most significant setback for the MCU yet.
Rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter this week to discuss his involvement in the project, revealing that Blade is indeed 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," said the DJ, who recently directed Shudder's new sci-fi horror ASH. "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."
The day before 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 before production fell apart. Even more intriguing, the film was supposed to be set in the 1920s, promising some stunning costume and production design.
Adding to the string of bad news, actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to star alongside Ali in Blade for a time, opened up about the project's demise just days before Carter's reveal. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he 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 everything had gone according to plan, fans would be eagerly anticipating its release this November. The project has seen several directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, but none have managed to stay with the film.
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With all the challenges this adaptation has faced, it's hard to believe it's been just six months since the movie was removed from Marvel's release schedule in October 2024 — and it still hasn't confirmed a new release date. However, a month after the film was pulled from the calendar, MCU boss Kevin Feige reaffirmed the studio's commitment to making a Blade movie happen.
"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 stated during an interview with Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."
