Marvel Studios announced it was developing a Blade reboot in a splashy Hall H panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. Mahershala Ali hit the stage to close out the panel alongside Kevin Feige, confirming he would play the MCU's Daywalker in a moment which broke the internet.
The pandemic followed, as did a voice cameo in Eternals, but development on the reboot has since hit more than a few stumbling blocks. Blade has lost several writers and directors (and even a few actors), though it does appear to have started taking shape.
The idea now seems to be a grounded, gritty take on the character rather than an effects-laden blockbuster which runs the risk of feeling like more of the same from Marvel Studios. It's also been confirmed by director Yann Demange that Blade will be R-Rated.
Now, we may have a positive update courtesy of Production Weekly.
According to the latest issue, the plan now is for Blade to begin shooting this fall. That likely puts the reboot on track for its planned November 7, 2025 release date, though we still have a feeling it might slip further down the calendar into 2026.
While we know better than to put any stock in the synopses shared by that publication, they tend to be pretty accurate when it comes to actual production updates (hence the name).
We've lost track of the writers who have been attached to Blade over the past few years, though Michael Green (Logan) is thought to have finally cracked the story after his five predecessors failed to do so.
"They gave me the R, which is so important," Demange said last November. "I come out of [his new short film, Dammi] wanting to be more open, more vulnerable and bring a more personal aspect to my work. But for Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor."
"I'm excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that," the filmmaker added. "He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen."
While Blade is still scheduled for a 2025 release, we expect to see (well, hear) Ali play the character before that in Marvel Animation's What If...? spin-off, Marvel Zombies.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.