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Seriously, is anyone even remotely surprised by the news that the long delayed (like 7 years long) MCU Blade movie is no longer moving forward at Marvel Studios. CEO Kevin Feige sort of confirmed the news a few weeks ago but did beat around the bush by just stating that he felt like that was the biggest failure, but we now have confirmation from the planned star Mahershala Ali that it is, indeed, dead. Ali even sounded a little salty when he commented on the film, but wouldn’t you be if you were waiting around several years to make a movie that never materialized? Worse yet, I think this was the only announced MCU project at SDCC that never saw the light of day.
In a recent interview with GQ, Ali (a two-time Academy Award winner) was asked the hot topic question of what is happening with Blade to which Ali replied, “I’ve been doing this professionally for pushing 30 years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that what is for you is for you and what is not is not. For whatever reason, that project is not for me.” If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on.” He went on to say, “[Marvel] didn’t want to do it, they should answer that question.”
OUCH! Like I said, Ali definitely sounds salty, but no one can blame him as Marvel danced around the project for almost a decade never fully setting on what to do with the reboot. While in development, the Blade movie was at certain times set to take place in the modern era and also being toyed with being a period piece. Mia Goth was even attached at one point to also star but the director revolving door and Marvel never fully fleshing out the story spelled certain doom doe the film.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige did talk about the sour subject while visiting the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Feige, in that interview, stated, “I am feeling like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.”
I thought it was rather insult to injury when Ryan Reynolds brought back OG Blade Wesley Snipes for Deadpool and Wolverine where the latter famously said, “There’s only one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” While that was a comic book cinematic chef’s kiss, I could never get it out of my mind that this was a direct jab at not getting the movie made. Kudos for Reynolds and company nonetheless.
Ali did get to play Blade once albeit off camera and in voice over at the end of The Eternals but that was all she wrote. That stinger sequence did elicit the desired excitement from hardcore fans, but nothing was ever mentioned again. An animated and awesome Blade/Moon Knight hybrid was featured in the MCU’s Marvel Zombies limited animated series, but Ali did not provide the voice over for that show to which people, including me, thought was weird.
With Ali’s confirmation that he is officially severing ties with Blade doesn’t mean that Marvel won’t try again. For whatever reason, they just couldn’t crack it but maybe sometime in the future, they will try again.
Now, Marvel is left holding the bag and facing a bevy of questions on Blade’s future. The studio will probably revisit the character of Blade and the Daywalker could be introduced in another film before going the solo route but only time will tell.
For now, Marvel is focused on Doomsday, Secret Wars and the X-Men so as of now, there are no concrete future plans to get Blade up and running.
We shall see, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
