Although 2021’s Jurassic World: Dominion wrapped up the trilogy that began in 2015 and introduced the world to Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing, the Jurassic Park universe isn’t done by a long shot. Jurassic World 4, which is due out next year, was announced to the public back in January, and since then we’ve learned Scarlett Johansson will play the lead and be joined by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Jonathan Bailey and Rupert Friend. Now word’s come in that Mahershala Ali is being lined up for Jurassic World 4, and while this is great news for the Universal Pictures franchise, I’m becoming more worried about the Blade reboot, one of the upcoming Marvel movies, in the process.
Mahershala Ali Might Be Joining Jurassic World 4
Let’s go over the positive first. THR has heard that Ali is in talks to come aboard Jurassic World 4, meaning it’s not a done deal yet, but the chances of it happening are likely. Production is set to begin in mid-June in London, so Ali’s involvement needs to be cemented soon in order to not to complicate the shooting schedule. If a deal is worked out, along with appearing on camera alongside the aforementioned actors, he’ll also be directed by Gareth Edwards, who “dropped everything” to work on Jurassic World 4. Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park writer David Koepp is penning the script.
If things work out with Mahershala Ali, this will add yet another major franchise to his filmography, as he’s previously lent his talents to Predators, both parts of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and the animated Spider-Verse movies. Additionally, back in 2019, he was cast to play Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and while he did make a vocal cameo in Eternals’ end-credits scene, this version of vampire hunter still has yet to actually be seen.
Why This Could Be Bad News For The Blade Reboot
Among the things we know about the Blade reboot is that it’s scheduled for release on November 7, 2025, sandwiched between The Fantastic Four and Avengers 5. However, this is the third release date it’s been given, as Blade has face numerous behind-the-scenes shakeups in the years since Mahershala Ali was announced to be playing the title character. Now with this Jurassic World 4 news, I can’t help but think another delay is forthcoming.
Jurassic World 4 is set to come out on July 2, 2025, just four months before Blade. While it wouldn’t be impossible for Ali to go straight to shooting Blade after finishing the next Jurassic World movie, the chances of that happening seem slim. The Hot Mic previously reported that Blade will shoot in Mexico this summer, but I find it hard to believe that’s still happening following this Jurassic World 4 update. I’m not willing to start speculating just yet about Blade being outright shelved, but there’s more than enough cause for concern.
Assuming Mahershala Ali is looking to prioritize Jurassic World 4 next, then clearly Blade still isn’t ready to get off the ground just yet. As such, I’m thinking that it will need to be moved to 2026, either before or after Avengers 5. That would mean its arrival comes seven years after we learned Ali would play Blade, which is one hell of a waiting period.
If Blade’s production and release date to indeed get pushed back, we’ll pass along the news. Meanwhile, check out our 2024 release schedule to learn what movies are still on track to come out later this year.
