Hard as it may be to believe, it's been over four years since Marvel Studios first announced plans for a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali during San Diego Comic-Con, and the project has been plagued by production woes ever since.
After going through a number of directors and writers, the project finally seemed to be back on track after a recent Production Weekly update claimed that shooting was set to commence this Fall, but it seems the movie has hit yet another bump in the road.
According to Daniel Richtman, a new writer is currently being sought to give the script another major overhaul - although he does note that Marvel has finally nailed down the overall story, and backs-up the earlier report that cameras are expected to roll later this year in Mexico or Brazil.
Apparently, a casting call has also gone out for a male main villain, but the name of the character wasn't revealed.
Though everything appears to have been sorted since, a recent expose claimed that Ali threatened to depart the movie at one point due to frustrations with the script.
Some early drafts reportedly saw Ali's new take on the Daywalker "relegated to third or fourth lead" in his own movie, and while this has been disputed by a writer who worked on a draft prior to the strikes (more here), it's clear that this production has been anything but plain sailing.
It's worth noting that 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.”
Director Yann Demange (who stepped in to replace Bassam Tariq) has also spoken positively about the reboot, and 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."
Blade is currently set to hit theaters on November 7, 2025