Blade gets “encouraging” update from Mahershala Ali

❘ Published: 2023-12-06T12:23:36

Marvel Comics

Blade, the upcoming MCU movie, has appeared to be in a state of limbo for a while. But now, the main star has given us some hope.

Blade has been going through a number of hiccups over the past few years, all throughout its development for the MCU.

There were rumors of the main character being a descendant of Blade rather than Blade himself. There was also news surrounding a limited budget, director exits, and multiple delays, some of which have yet to be officially confirmed or denied.

However, one thing we can bank on is that the actor playing Blade, Mahershala Ali, is thankfully optimistic about the project.

Mahershala Ali is “working” on developing Blade

In a recent interview with EW, Ali gave an encouraging update on the superhero-vampire hybrid flick: “We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you,” he explained. “I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.

“I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that,” the actor continued. “So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”

Ali has already appeared as Blade in the MCU (kind of) as he made a brief voice cameo in the post-credits scene of 2021’s Eternals.

Blade was originally announced in 2019, with Bassam Tariq later being hired to direct the film, alongside a screenplay from Stacy Osei-Kuffour. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, Blade was given a release date of November 3, 2023. However, the production and Mahershala Ali would soon become “frustrated” due to a number of changes.

Tariq departed the project, being replaced by Yann Demange. The screenplay also changed hands, with Michael Green now penning the movie.

There were subsequently changes in the release date too. Initially pushed back to September 2024, Blade is now expected to drop on November 7, 2025, due to Marvel reshuffling its roster and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes earlier this year, which halted most Hollywood productions.

But as long as production is still ongoing, Blade fans may hopefully not have to wait an eternity for their hero to arrive on the big screen.

Blade is set to drop in cinemas on November 7, 2025. Check out our other superhero hubs below: