Blade was recently removed from Marvel Studios' slate, but it sounds like the movie is still very much alive.
Though the long-awaited MCU reboot won't be arriving in theaters next year, scooper Daniel Richtman believes that it is still on track to commence production in the UK at some point in 2025. He also notes that it will be "dark and R-rated," and have a "smaller budget than other recent Marvel films."
Richtman also claims that a new script is currently being worked on.
Last we heard, the latest draft by Eric Pearson - who is the sixth writer to have been assigned to the project after Michael Green, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury, Beau DeMayo and Nic Pizzolatto - had "finally satisfied everyone involved," but clearly this isn't the case if they've gone back to the drawing board yet again.
As previously reported, The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez believes the real reason Blade was pushed back again is because Marvel is prioritizing Multiversal stories in the build-up to Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
So, it may not be a case of the studio struggling to "get Blade right," and simply bad timing for Ali's Daywalker to make his MCU debut.
Star Mahershala Ali's last update during an interview with EW was a positive one.
“We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you. I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.”
“I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that,” he added. “So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”
Demange (who stepped in to replace Bassam Tariq) previously confirmed that the movie will indeed be rated R.
"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," said the filmmaker. "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."