If you're a Blade fan, it's fair to say the past six-or-so years haven't been the easiest. Mahershala Ali was announced as the MCU's Daywalker at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, only for the pandemic to come along the following year and delay Marvel Studios' plans for the movie.
Since then, 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). The movie has been undated for a while now, making claims that it's on "indefinite hold" not in the least bit surprising.
There were rumblings last month that John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski could be in line to helm the reboot. The latest draft was written by Michael Green and Eric Pearson, and according to The InSneider, he's emerged as a frontrunner to finally bring Blade back to theaters.
According to the site, a different filmmaker was circling the movie at the end of 2024, and they've now been identified as No Time to Die's Cary Fukunaga. He previously worked on the first season of True Detective, a series Ali starred in during its third season.
"However, Fukunaga is rather famously difficult to work with," the report explains, "and I’m told that Marvel was looking for someone a little more studio-friendly, so it was no big deal when Fukunaga went off to direct the indie thriller Blood on Snow."
Now, Marvel Studios is said to have found a new director in Stahelski. Not only is he a safe pair of hands for a movie that's been trapped in development hell for over half a decade, but when it comes to delivering epic vampire action, who better than the John Wick director who cut his teeth in Hollywood by serving as the stunt double for Keanu Reeves on The Matrix?
Stahelski also served as second-unit director on Captain America: Civil War and Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), so he's no stranger to comic book adaptations.
Recently, Black Panther and Sinners star Michael B. Jordan showed empathy for Marvel Studios' repeated attempts to get Blade off the ground. "Launching any franchise, it’s tough," he acknowledged. "I hope it gets together. I want to see a Blade movie, you know what I’m saying? The Blade franchise was everything."
Asked whether he's concerned by Marvel Studios' recent struggles to please fans and critics, Jordan responded, "[Marvel’s] doing great. They’ll get it back."
We anticipate Blade being followed by a Midnight Sons movie featuring the Daywalker alongside characters like Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Clea.
Stay tuned for updates on these movies as we have them.