It's been an interesting time for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise that once dominated the box office two or three times a year has suffered a number of blows in recent years that had many questioning the endurance of its drawing power.
Films such as Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels failed to achieve the levels of success that even some of the franchise's solid performers did, resulting in a new approach and an overhaul to Marvel Studios' release strategy. It also reportedly ensured that they would focus on quality over quantity going forward, spending more time perfecting the titles that are still in the works (and perhaps even cancelling some shows it might have been open to bringing back once upon a time).
This meant refocusing on every upcoming title and ensuring that they can make the most of it, producing strong outings that fans would both be interested in seeing and actually enjoy. Some reports even suggested that if this wasn't possible, certain titles could be cancelled. And given that one project in particular was recently removed from the release calendar altogether, fans worried that this film had fallen victim to this fate.
Blade not cancelled; still on track, according to insider
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Blade is still on track, with filming set to begin in the UK at some point next year. He adds that they are likely working on the new script right now and that the film will have a smaller budget than a lot of the recent MCU movies.
This will obviously come as music to the ears' of fans who had been worried that the movie might have been cancelled. Just last week, the film - which was set for a November 7, 2025 release - had been taken off the release schedule altogether, being replaced with Predator: Badlands. In all honesty, it wasn't too surprising that it had been delayed again as there are three other Marvel movies set for release next year, and the studio's new approach only allows for three theatrical releases in one year. And that's not even taking into account that it was the only one of the four that had yet to commence production.
However, the disconcerting part is that it hasn't been placed anywhere else on the calendar either. And that fed into the multitude of rumors suggesting that the movie itself was in danger of cancellation, which is not what the fans want. Given Blade's focus on vampires, it will introduce fans to a whole new aspect to the MCU that will likely freshen things up in a similar way to how Agatha All Along opened the door for more witches in the franchise.
There's also the fact that Blade is a household name, thanks to the Wesley Snipes trilogy of movies that flew the flag for Marvel at a time when there weren't too many superhero movies, so it would likely reach a wider audience than just the typical MCU fanbase.
Blade was first announced back at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, but due to a number of delays, script issues, and departing directors, it just hasn't been able to get off the ground. It was recently reported that Marvel was due to make a decision on both it and fellow MCU project Armor Wars, which had also had no significant updates since 2020, in the near future. Perhaps this new report is confirmation that the movie will go ahead after all.
Blade is one of the most popular Marvel characters not to appear in the MCU (outside of the return of Wesley Snipes' Blade in Deadpool and Wolverine), so it goes without saying that fans are ready to see the Daywalker enter into the franchise now. Here's hoping this is the good news they have been waiting for.