Marvel Studios recently found itself pushing its Multiverse Saga slate back by a few months which even included the release for Phase 6's Avengers: Secret Wars being delayed six months until May 1, 2026. This all kickstarted with Blade being pushed from November 2023 to September 2024 after reports revealed that lead actor Mahershala Ali's solo project had halted production for the next few months.
In recent weeks, reports revealed that Blade lost its director in Bassam Tariq before Marvel decided to delay the movie's release by nearly a year, with production not even beginning until May 2023. This comes after Marvel went to X-Men '97 writer Beau DeMayo to rewrite the entire script from the ground up, leaving the movie in an uncomfortable state of flux.
Through the course of this story, rumors had indicated that starring actor Mahershala Ali was frustrated with the direction of production, leading some fans to worry that Blade might require a new star along with a new director. But thankfully, a new insider report has indicated that Marvel fans don't have to worry, even with Blade now being two full years away from its release.
Blade Star Still Committed to MCU Reboot
SlashFilm revealed news from one of their sources that Mahershala Ali is still fully on board with Marvel Studios for its upcoming Blade reboot, in which he was announced to star in 2019. The MCU star will play a major role in reshaping the film's story and direction for production, and reportedly has been given creative power to request script rewrites.
This news comes after reports from late September indicated that Ali "(wasn't) happy with the status of production on Blade," with the same news hinting that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was being "spread too thin." The movie's script was said to be only about 90 pages long with "exactly TWO (lackluster) action sequences)," leading to the story being completely overhauled by Beau DeMayo.
Mahershala Ali Sticking with Marvel Studios
With Blade facing the biggest delay for any MCU project since the pandemic started, there are naturally concerns about its development, particularly since it was announced just after the Infinity Saga ended in 2019. Since then, Mahershala Ali has only made one small MCU appearance with his cameo in Eternals' post-credits scene, and it was only in a voiceover capacity.
In the three years since then, Ali has shared his passion for bringing the vampire hunter into the MCU for the first time, taking what Wesley Snipes started in the '90s and 2000s and building upon it for Marvel Studios. And even with so many problems having faced the movie over the past few months, hearing that he remains dedicated to it should bring a sigh of relief for anxious fans keeping up with the news.
Currently, Marvel is in the process of looking for a new director for Blade while the script is being rewritten, and the studio has a few actors on board for the cast alongside Ali. The Oscar-winner will be hard at work over the coming months making sure everything is in order for production as he finally gets to take on a character that will open the doors to wild new adventures for the MCU narrative.
Blade will now release in theaters on September 6, 2024.
