David S. Goyer wrote Blade and Blade II, two comic book movies widely considered among the genre's best. He later wrote and directed the disappointing Blade: Trinity, and moved on from that with The Dark Knight Trilogy and, eventually, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.
Wesley Snipes played Blade in Goyer's movies, while Mahershala Ali was announced as the MCU's new Daywalker at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. However, the pandemic massively delayed Marvel Studios' plans for the movie, as did 2023's Hollywood strikes.
The Blade reboot has lost a seemingly endless list of writers and directors (and even the odd actor, with Lanterns star Aaron Pierre among the most noteworthy). It's also been undated for a while now, making claims that it's on "indefinite hold" not in the least bit surprising.
Talking to Josh Horowitz for Batman Begins' 20th anniversary, Goyer addressed fans who believe he's the right person to make Marvel Studios' Blade a reality.
"I'm pretty much still not in a comic book place...look, I go back and forth," the filmmaker explained. "All the time on social media, I see, 'Oh, they should have Goyer do the new Blade.' Part of me thinks it would be fun, but part of me thinks I did, so far, the definitive Blade, and [it would be] a mistake."
He added, "I remember Chris [Nolan] advising me not to work on the Affleck Batman because it's confusing. We did one, just stick with that."
Horowitz expressed his confusion with Marvel Studios' apparent inability to get cameras rolling on Blade, prompting Goyer to respond, "I don't either, because in my mind, I think Blade is a relatively simple story. It's not complicated. I always think when you embark on a movie like this, you have to distil down what the promise of the movie [is]."
"The promise of a new Blade is that it should have insane ass kicking, it should be pretty scary, might be R-Rated, and it should not be complicated. It should be a simple story," he continued. "So, I don't know why it's been so hard. I have no idea why. I'm baffled. Mahershala Ali is an amazing actor. I don't know why."
Goyer later shared his belief that Snipes' return as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine might have been a misstep, especially with so many fans now eager to see him hunting vampires again.
"I thought that was cool too," he acknowledged, "but it's confusing also if you're trying to do another one." He quickly added that he has nothing to do with the next Blade movie, so he's unaware of what Marvel Studios might be plotting.
After so many delays, the hope is that Blade might follow a Midnight Sons movie featuring the Daywalker alongside characters like Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Clea. However, plans for that project still haven't been officially announced.
Stay tuned for updates on these movies as we have them. You can watch the full interview with Goyer in the player below.