A new report revealed a concerning update centered on Mahershala Ali's MCU Blade movie.
When Ali was first announced as Marvel's most famous vampire hunter, it was the stuff of comic book fans' dreams. An Oscar-winning actor taking on a property he seemed to be deeply passionate about, what could go wrong?
Well, ever since that initial announcement, Blade has been reportedly stepping on rakes at every turn.
The latest of these hiccups came early this year when Ali seemingly demanded "script changes" after a page one rewrite was ordered and a new director was brought in last fall.
Blade Hits Another Bump in the Road
According to Variety, the MCU's Blade film continues to be in trouble at Marvel Studios.
The Mahershala Ali-led blockbuster has reportedly been sent back to the drawing board for another rewrite, this time headed up by Logan writer Michael Green.
The project has now gone through at least five different writers and two directors, with word being that Ali was set to leave the project before this latest rewrite was ordered.
This comes as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has been reworking projects in the MCU amid widespread criticism of the super-powered franchise.
Blade - which is currently set to debut sometime in 2025 - will also sport a reported budget of $100 million, a figure that is a massive deviation from Marvel Studios' traditional spending habits.
In Variety's reporting, the outlet noted that a previous version of the Blade script had "one point morphed into a narrative led by women and filled with life lessons," and was a story where "Blade was relegated to the fourth lead."
Will Blade MCU Movie Ever Figure It Out?
Despite yet another rewrite being pushed for on Blade, one has to wonder if the Mahershala Ali-led MCU epic will ever come to theaters.
Over a year ago, it was reported that Ali was "very frustrated" with the lack of progress being made on the movie.
While 2023 has been a bit of a write-off for the whole entertainment industry given the writers' and actors' strikes, if Ali had his qualms with Blade before, he almost surely still has them.
Kevin Feige and the MCU brass need to tread carefully with Blade if they want to keep Ali on board with the idea of being a Marvel Studios superhero.
Blade was at one point set to hit theaters this fall but has been pushed out more than a year to 2025.
According to sources close to the project, Marvel "want[s] to really get [Blade] right," and that probably is why someone like Michael Green was brought in to hopefully get things going.
Fans can just hope Ali does not get too impatient about his MCU role and is there to star in Blade when the movie is finally ready to get in front of cameras.
Blade is currently slated to release on February 14, 2025.
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