Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were delighted back in 2019 when Marvel Studios revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that a Blade reboot with Mahershala Ali was in the works. Since then, a number of updates on the production have been reported but, unfortunately, not all of them have been positive. The highly anticipated upcoming superhero movie has seen its fair share of setbacks over the past several years, much to fans’ disappointment. Now, producer Kevin Feige has provided an update on the movie and, to be honest, I’m feeling somewhat more hopeful about the vampire flick.
Rumors and reports have been swirling around the Daywalker’s MCU debut for years now, and fans have been eager for concrete answers. So it really isn’t all that surprising that Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, was asked about the project’s status while being interviewed by BlackTree TV. Feige, who was promoting his studio’s latest cinematic effort – Deadpool & Wolverine – at the time, didn’t go into specifics about where production currently stands. However, his sentiments (which can be checked out on YouTube) did seem to convey that he and his colleagues are taking this long-gestating project very seriously:
For the last few years, as we've been trying to crack that movie, the most important thing for us is not rushing it, and making sure we are making the right Blade movie. Because there were some great Blade movies years ago. They were all rated R. So I think that’s inherent – like Deadpool – that's inherently the character of Blade.
After the Mahershala Ali-led film was announced nearly five years ago, it was reported that Bassam Tariq had been hired to direct in September 2021. Tariq departed the production in September 2022, though the reboot landed a new director in Yann Demange by that November. However, the Marvel-produced reboot hit another setback when Demange parted ways with the project this past June. All the while, a revolving door of writers – like Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Beau DeMayo and Nic Pizzolatto – were attached to the movie at different points in time. So, needless to say, this film’s road to the big screen has been tough.
The wait for Mahershala Ali’s MCU superhero likely hasn’t been easy for a number of people, but these sentiments from Kevin Feige are somewhat comforting for me. Feige’s comments indicate to me that he and his team are committed to making this upcoming Marvel movie the best that it can be. I’d argue that it’s best for the creative team to take their time instead of rushing out a movie that doesn’t hold a candle to the original Blade movies, which are streamable and available for purchase on various platforms.
People should also remember that this is far from the first superhero flick from the Disney-owned studio to remain in development for an extended period of time. Work on Doctor Strange commenced in earnest in 2009, with the writers being hired in 2010 – and that film ultimately didn’t hit theaters until 2016. The highly successful Black Panther, which opened in 2018, had also been in the works since the mid-2000s. One could argue that the situation with the MCU’s supernatural thriller is a bit different, given a star has been attached as well as multiple directors. But the main takeaway here should be that good films take time to make.
As it stands, a new Blade director has yet to be announced, and Eric Pearson (who’s written Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow, Thunderbolts and more MCU fare) is rewriting the screenplay. Mahershala Ali and Mia Goth also remain the other two stars still attached to the project. There are definitely still plenty of elements that must be resolved when it comes to this movie, but I remain confident that the finished motion picture will be well worth the wait.
In the meantime, stream the Marvel movies in order using a Disney+ subscription. You can also see the latest entry in the Multiverse Saga, Deadpool & Wolverine, which opens in theaters on July 26 and is one of the marquee titles on the 2024 movie schedule.
