When Marvel announced movies at the start of the launch of the MCU, they did so strategically and with the full intention of following through with the projects announced to the world. Fans used to be able to trust more in Marvel Studios as the studio was very intentional about its announcements and would only confirm projects that were in good standing.
Sadly, the MCU of today is not the same as the MCU of yesterday.
It’s becoming a growing problem for projects to be teased and announced, only to then go nowhere at all. We’ve met countless characters who seemed primed to take on bigger roles in future projects, only to then never appear again or remain in limbo for years. And then there are the movies and shows that were announced only to end up going nowhere.
For the most part, these canceled projects have been ones that were in development and hadn’t been widely promoted. Then there is Mahershala Ali’s Blade.
Blade was first announced in 2019 when Marvel brought Ali out to announce the project during the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con. The film immediately sparked excitement among fans, and Marvel began planting seeds for his arrival in Eternals, which featured Ali’s voice in a teaser scene.
Sadly, the film was hit with setback after setback in the years that followed and it now seems Marvel has quietly canceled the film.
Blade movie on ‘hold indefinitely’ as Marvel movie’s future remains uncertain
Since its announcement in 2019, Blade has been hit with one delay after another. Multiple directors have left the project, and the script has undergone so many changes that we’ve lost track. It also didn’t help that the film had to face delays from the pandemic and historic writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023 as well. Marvel has remained mum on the future of the Blade project; however, it seems they might have finally given up hope on the project.
According to trusted scooper Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has officially placed the Blade movie on “hold indefinitely.”
No further details were provided about the decision, but the fact that the Blade movie is no longer a priority for Marvel Studios does not instill hope that the movie will actually come to fruition. In fact, it’s more likely we’ll see Ali suit up as Blade for a cameo in one of the forthcoming Avengers movies than actually see the hero appear in his own standalone project. And it’s honestly a shame because the original plan for the Blade movie sounds incredible!
In a recent interview with Designing Hollywood, costume designer Ruth E. Carter revealed that Marvel’s original plan for the film was for it to be a 1920s-set period drama. Marvel has done incredible work with period dramas in the past such as in Captain America: The First Avenger and Agent Carter, but this would have been unlike anything Marvel has done before.
Just imagine how insanely incredible a 1920s-set Marvel vampire movie starring Al could have been! There is no doubt that the project could have been one of Marvel’s best and most unique movies. This would have also helped the movie avoid being bogged down, as the film would take place before Captain America became a super soldier, Captain Marvel took flight on Earth, or the Avengers ever assembled. This would have given the writers a clean slate to dive into the character without needing to connect him to the broader MCU storylines, which can lead fans to become too hung up on where they were when certain events like “The Blip” took place.
We can only hope that a Blade movie starring Ali might someday happen, but with the project going on an indefinite hold, the odds aren’t looking promising.