They pulled the plug on a long awaited movie.
After years of delays and production setbacks, Marvel’s long-anticipated Blade reboot appears to have been officially shelved.
According to Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist—a source known for credible insider information—Marvel has halted development on the film. The project is reportedly no longer moving forward, and all work on it has ceased.
However, fans of Mahershala Ali’s version of Blade may not be left completely in the dark. Reports suggest that the character could still make an appearance in upcoming Marvel titles such as Midnight Sons, Avengers: Secret Wars, or possibly in a supporting role in another film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The road to bringing Blade back to the big screen has been nothing short of turbulent. Since its announcement at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the film has cycled through at least six writers, including Michael Green, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury, Beau DeMayo, Nic Pizzolatto, and most recently, Eric Pearson.
The director’s chair has also seen considerable turnover. Bassam Tariq, Yann Demange, and Cary Fukunaga were each linked to the film at various stages before ultimately stepping away.
Originally envisioned as a period piece set in the 1920s, the most recent script iteration had shifted the story to a modern-day setting. Yet despite various creative reworks, the film struggled to gain traction amid ongoing script rewrites, casting shakeups, and external delays caused by the pandemic and industry strikes.
Several actors once attached to the film—such as Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo—eventually exited the project. Mia Goth, however, remained onboard in the role of Lilith, a vampire antagonist reportedly hunting the blood of Blade’s daughter.
Throughout the production challenges, Mahershala Ali was said to have grown increasingly disheartened with the direction of the film, though he ultimately stayed committed to the role—at least until now.
