Six months or so before the world closed down thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made a jaw-dropping announcement in the closing moments of an epic Hall H panel at the San Diego Comic-Con.
Joined by Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, he revealed that a Blade movie was finally on the way and, over three years later...there's still no sign of it.
We did hear the Daywalker's voice in Eternals' post-credits scene, but director Bassam Tariq parting ways with Marvel Studios last month has only served to further delay the movie. There have since been reports that the script needed some work, with Ali giving some input into that as Moon Knight and X-Men '97 scribe Beau DeMayo gets to work on punching it up.
It feels a little like the project has fallen by the wayside in what's proven to be a very busy few years for Marvel Studios, but we may have a positive update even after that recent release date delay.
According to The Cosmic Circus, Elegance Bratton is looking like a very likely contender to helm Blade.
He's something of a newcomer, but began his career in the 2010s, writing, directing, and producing a variety of projects including the short film Walk for Me, the reality television series My House, and the documentary Pier Kids.
His feature debut will be A24's The Inspection. That's released next month and is described as "[a] deeply moving film inspired by [Bratton's] own story, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside."
"But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life."
As we're sure you'll agree after watching the trailer below, it looks like a very powerful movie, and Bratton would definitely be an exciting choice of director for Blade. Hopefully, some official news will follow, though it doesn't usually take the trades long to weigh in once a story like this breaks.
Blade is set to be released in theaters on September 6, 2024.