Mahershala Ali’s Blade was first announced in 2019, and Marvel began active work on the film in October 2020. However, the project underwent significant behind-the-scenes issues, with multiple changes in writers and directors. Despite production delays and recent reports suggesting that Ali was ready to exit the character, the Moonlight actor has now shared a positive update on the film.
Ali revealed that the film would soon resume production, adding that he was excited about the direction of the project. According to the latest reports, Blade will be released in theaters on November 7, 2025, as the 37th film in the MCU.
Mahershala Ali Has An Exciting Update About His Marvel Reboot Film
Mahershala Ali remains optimistic about his Blade film even after all the production challenges. Reports came in November suggesting that Ali was ready to leave the franchise due to the earlier script that focused on a female-driven narrative, relegating him to a secondary role. However, in a recent interview with EW, Ali conveyed his enthusiasm for the film, especially with the current writer and director of the film.
The film underwent numerous changes in directors and writers over the years, but it appears to have found stability with Yann Demange at the helm and Michael Green of Logan fame as the writer. Ali also added that they would soon begin filming after the halt in production in May due to the strikes. The Leave the World Behind shared with EW:
“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. So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”
Bassam Tariq and Watchmen fame Stacy Osei-Kuffour were initially attached as the director and screenwriter of the film. However, Tariq left the film due to the delays in the production start date. The project will also reportedly feature Aaron Pierre, Delroy Lindo, and Mia Goth.
Mahershala Ali Almost Quit The Film
In their feature about Marvel in November, Variety reported that the Blade script was being rewritten from scratch after Mahershala Ali contemplated quitting over the earlier script. The earlier iteration featured a female-centric story filled with life lessons, something way off-tone for a darker movie like Blade. Notably, the original trilogy was ruined by the third Blade film, where Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel’s characters took away the focus from Wesley Snipes’ Blade.
Although the reasons were completely different for the Blade threequel, Marvel took a lesson from that failure as they changed the script following Ali’s issues with the film. Interestingly, Ali had already made his Marvel debut, not in the Eternals’ voice role, but as a different character. Ali played Cornell Stokes, a villain, in Marvel’s TV series, Luke Cage.
Blade is expected to commence filming by mid-2024, with reports suggesting a modest budget of around $100 million.
