Blade starring Mahershala Ali was supposed to be coming to theaters in early November 2023, but the release date was pushed back because of production reasons. Now, the release date for Blade has been moved again.
Originally, Blade was set to premiere on Nov. 3, 2023, then on Sept. 6, 2024. Now, fans will have to wait even longer for the release date. The new Blade premiere date is scheduled for Valentine’s Day 2025 (Feb. 14, 2025). That’s going to be a brutal wait for what appears to be one of the most promising upcoming projects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t even look like that 2025 date is that solid right now either. As of October 2023, production has not started on Blade. It was reportedly supposed to begin in the summer of 2023, but the writers’ strike, which has ended, and the actor’s strike delayed the start of production. Filming can’t begin until the strikes are over, so that’s why we’re thinking another release date delay could happen.
Originally, production was reported to begin during the fall of 2022, but the film lost its original director, Bassam Tariq, in September. It looks like they might have started work on the film in October 2022 before shutting down. Production was scheduled to begin in May, but that didn’t happen.
We’ll keep you posted on the status of Blade’s production as we learn more about the actors’ strike ending.
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2025
Here’s where Blade fits into the upcoming MCU schedule:
- The Marvels (Nov. 10, 2023)
- Echo (January 2024)
- Deadpool (May 3, 2024)
- Captain America: Brave New World (July 26, 2024)
- Agatha (2024)
- Thunderbolts (Dec. 20, 2024)
- Ironheart (2024)
- Blade (Feb. 14, 2025)
- Fantastic Four (May 2, 2025)
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 1, 2026)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027)
For those who don’t know, the film is based on the Marvel comics character, Erik Brooks/Blade, the vampire hunter. The upcoming movie is technically a reboot of the original Blade movies starring Wesley Snipes as Blade.
Cast
Marvel has not announced the full Blade cast yet, but we do know a few of the major players who will be in the film. We shared the confirmed cast of Blade:
- Mahershala Ali as Erik Brooks/Blade
- Delroy Lindo
- Aaron Pierre
- Milan Ray
- Mia Goth
Mia Goth was the most recent addition to the cast. We still don’t know much about Goth’s role. We’re still hoping Kit Harington, who starred as Black Knight in Eternals, will be in Blade, but it’s unclear if that’s going to happen. In fact, there’s actually been a lot of skepticism about if that potential storyline has run its course. Fans of the original Blade movies are also hoping that Wesley Snipes will star or make a cameo appearance.
Who is the director?
Yann Demange is the new director of Blade. As mentioned, Bassam Tariq was going to direct the movie but had to step down because of the production schedule.
Demange is best known for his work as a director and producer on Lovecraft Country, Top Boy, and other shows and movies. He also directed White Boy Rick and ’71.
Blade teased in the post-credits scene of Eternals
We have yet to see Ali as Blade in any of the MCU movies or shows so far. There were rumors that Blade could have been introduced in Moon Knight, but that did not happen.
Instead, fans got their first not-glimpse at Blade in the post-credits scene of Eternals. Ali confirmed that it’s his voice that asks Kit Harington’s Black Knight if he’s ready to wield what’s expected to be the Ebony Blade.
It’s going to be so awesome when we see these stories coming together in the MCU. That’s all we have for now. Stay tuned for more news about Blade.
How many Blade movies are there?
The upcoming Blade is going to be the fourth movie of the franchise. Snipes starred in the first three Blade movies, which premiered in 1998, 2002, and 2004. The movies are titled Blade, Blade 2, and Blade Trinity. Unfortunately, the Blade movies are not available to stream on Disney Plus right now.
That’s all we know about Blade so far! We’ll share more updates as we learn more about the upcoming movie.