It’s been nearly 5 years since Kevin Feige and company announced a Blade reboot at San Diego Comic-Con. Even though the film was initially once of Marvel’s most hyped projects, the production has faced a steep uphill battle that most in the business would call “development hell.” And it still doesn’t look like the film is going to go before cameras until at least next year!
Just last week you might recall us reporting that director Yann Demange departed the project. He was the second director to dip after Bassim Tariq left over two years ago. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the reason for Demange’s departure was due to frustration on his part, the studio’s, and attached star Mahershala Ali.
But the source of the frustration apparently seems to be from the script. Up until now, at least, it appears that the studio could not come up with a story that it was content with. For that reason Marvel’s latest golden boy Eric Pearson has been brought onboard to complete the latest draft.
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As THR points out, Pearson has previously assisted other projects with their completion including Thor: Ragnorak and (most recently) Fantastic Four. And after the film was originally planned to take place in the 1920s, it will now take place in present day.
The plan is for the script to be completed by the end of the summer. Only then will the studio begin to seek a director.
It appears to be the only way the studio can recoup – or restrict – additional spending on the project. While it’s unclear just how much has gone into its development so far, THR estimates the cost is in the “millions.”
The site also points out that when the film first began production, under Tariq, a massive train set was erected for an unknown sequence. That train set has never been used, and Disney is still trying to figure out a way to incorporate it into another project so that it isn’t deemed a total waste of money.
As of right now, the only other star confirmed to still be attached to the film, aside from Ali, is Mia Goth. The original plan was for her to play “a vampire villain named Lilith who wanted the blood of Blade’s daughter.” However, it’s unclear if that’s who she will play in the final product.
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After making his MCU debut vocally in Eternals, Mahershala Ali will star in the film. The role was previously and famously played by Wesley Snipes in the 2000’s trilogy and Sticky Fingaz in a very short lived series on Spike TV.
The film is currently slated for a November 2025, which will ultimately be moved back to 2026 when Disney updates it’s theatrical release schedule.
SOURCE: THR
