The much-anticipated Blade movie appears to have finally lost all momentum. The Marvel Cinematic Universe project, which promised to bring Mahershala Ali into the fold as the iconic Daywalker, has encountered numerous setbacks over the years, and it now seems to have come to a standstill with little chance of revival.
This week, rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to share his involvement with the film, revealing that Blade is no longer in development. "I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru," said the DJ, who recently directed Shudder’s new sci-fi horror ASH. "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."
Just a day before Flying Lotus’ tweet, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, during an appearance on The John Campea Show, confirmed her role in designing costumes for Blade before the project disintegrated. She also revealed that the film was set to be set in the 1920s, which would have offered a unique and visually stunning backdrop for the movie.
Adding to the series of unfortunate updates, actor Delroy Lindo, who was set to star alongside Ali, shared his thoughts on the project's collapse with Entertainment Weekly just days before Carter's revelation. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he said. "And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails."
Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2019, and if everything had gone according to plan, fans would be eagerly anticipating its release this November. The project has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, but none have managed to stay on board.
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Despite the turmoil surrounding the Blade adaptation, it's surprising to note that it has only been six months since the movie was removed from Marvel’s release schedule in October 2024. No new release date has been confirmed since. However, a month after the film was pulled, MCU boss Kevin Feige expressed the studio's ongoing commitment to the project during an interview with Omelete in November 2024. "We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening," he stated. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."
