Blade: Mahershala Alis Readiness Sparks Hopes for MCUs Vampire Hunter Revival
In a recent interview, MCU star Mahershala Ali has issued a message to Marvel Studios, claiming that he is “ready” to film the highly anticipated movie Blade. The project has been in development limbo for a long time and was removed from the release schedule in October 2024. However, recent updates suggest that the project might be moving forward at Marvel Studios.
Ali made an appearance at the New York premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth and expressed his interest in starting production for the MCU’s Blade. “Call Marvel,” he told Variety. “I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready.”
Blade has become one of the most troubled projects in the entire MCU franchise. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige originally announced Ali’s casting as the vampire hunter at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in 2019. In the following years, several filmmakers, including Bassam Tariq and Yann Demanger, boarded the project, only to exit later. At one point, it had a release date of November 7, 2025, after several delays. However, it was taken off the MCU release schedule in October 2024.
In November 2024, Feige gave a positive update about Blade at Disney’s D23 Brazil event. He said that Marvel loved the character and Ali’s take on it. Feige added, “And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still trying to figure out how it fits into our schedule, we let the public know. You’re up to date on what’s going on. But I can tell you that the character will be coming to the MCU.”
Recently, screenwriter and filmmaker David S. Goyer revealed that he had reached out to Marvel, asking if they needed “any help” with the MCU’s Blade. Goyer penned the scripts for all three movies in The Blade trilogy featuring Wesley Snipes. Marvel apparently declined his offer and informed him that they believed they had “cracked” the code and were “in a good place” with it.
With Ali’s readiness to film and Marvel’s positive updates, it seems like Blade might finally be making its way to the big screen. Fans of the character and the MCU can only hope that this time, things will finally fall into place and we will see a new take on the iconic vampire hunter soon.
