Marvel Studios has put a halt to the production of Blade until a new director is found, so the evenings will continue to be filled with vampires for the time being. The Hollywood Reporter states that the cast and crew were informed today that the film’s production, scheduled to begin in November, has been delayed indefinitely. One of the most anticipated films in the MCU’s “Multiverse Saga” is Blade, which stars Mahershala Ali as the Marvel legend who hunts vampires. After Wesley Snipes’ groundbreaking role as the Day Walker in a trilogy of films released in the early 1990s, Ali stepped into some large shoes. Even still, with a cherished performer like Ali in the lead, it seemed safe to assume that Blade would do respect to the character.
That is, until two weeks ago, when director Bassam Tariq resigned, ostensibly owing to schedule issues. Blade first appeared in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Eternals, last year, during a sequence set in the middle of the film’s credits. While Ali’s Day Walker isn’t seen, we still hear him asking Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman whether he’s ready to assume the Black Night’s mantle. Fans have speculated that other supernaturally-inclined heroes, like the Black Knight, may make an appearance in the Blade MCU film, given that the two characters collaborated several times in the comic books.
Due to Marvel Studios’ silence, we don’t know much about the narrative of Blade, and now that filming has been halted, the story may need to be altered to accommodate a different release date. Movie theatres will play host to Blade on November 3, 2023. The currently scheduled date is likely to shift, though. As of now, Marvel Studios has not hired a replacement director, which will cause the entire production schedule to be shifted. Blade’s release date should be pushed back by at least a few months because MCU films take a long time in post-production. Since the MCU has scheduled theatrical releases through 2026, we have to question how Blade will fit into the “Multiverse Saga.”
Beau DeMayo (The Witcher, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) has replaced Stacy Osei-Kuffour as Blade’s screenwriter. Delroy Lindo (The Good Fight) and Aaron Pierre (Old) are also attached to the film in mysterious roles. The future MCU film shouldn’t be an origin narrative, seeing that Blade is currently an active hero in Eternals, but it will surely assist to add more monsters into the MCU. This year’s Werewolf by Night Halloween special was met with universal praise, and maybe there will be a connection between the future picture and that show.