(Updated 02/15/2024)
The comic book character who ushered in the modern era of superhero movies is finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! We’re not talking about Wolverine or any of the X-Men; we’re talking about Blade.
Many people will tell you that the current superhero era began with the X-MEN, in 2000. This is BLADE erasure! In 1998, Wesley Snipes debuted as the sword-wielding half-vampire Marvel hero, and frankly, nothing was ever the same. BLADE is a spectacularly entertaining movie and one that doesn’t get enough respect.
But things move forward. It is not disrespectful to Wesley Snipes or anyone else involved in the original movie that Marvel is now bringing the character into the MCU. BLADE (the new one), starring Mahershala Ali, will arrive squarely in the middle of Phase Six.
The movie has not even begun filming yet, so it’s too early to know very much. Still, here is everything we can tell you about BLADE.
Blade Begins Filming In 2024
Originally, BLADE was set to roll cameras in the fall of 2022. (Anyone can tell you that the spooky season is a good time to hunt vampires.) But things changed. BLADE is now set to begin filming this year, in 2024.
When's the Blade Release Date?
While BLADE was originally set to be released late in 2023, things also changed on that front. Now, BLADE will open exclusively in movie theaters on November 7, 2025.
Why the delay? There were changes in the filmmaking team, and that set the whole schedule back, with ripples that were felt up and down Marvel's movie release schedule.
The Writer and Director of Blade
This is where the story of the new BLADE movie gets more complicated than the most convoluted comic book continuity.
In 2022, Marvel hired Yann Demange (HBO's "Lovecraft Country") to direct. That's one step in a very confusing development process that involves another director who worked on the project for a while (Bassam Tariq, who made MOGUL MOWGLI) and quite a few different writers.
Originally, BLADE was going to roll cameras with a script originated by Stacy Amma Osei-Kuffour, who wrote for both "Watchmen" and "PEN15." Then Michael Starrbury, who was selected in part thanks to input from star Mahershala Ali, wrote a draft. "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto did a draft (remember that he and Ali worked together on the third season of "True Detective," and Michael Green did work on the movie, too.
Who Stars in Marvel's Blade?
So far, we only know three of the BLADE cast members. As mentioned, Mahershala Ali will play Blade, the Daywalker. And Mia Goth and Delroy Lindo are said to have roles, too, but we don't know who they'll play. In fact, since the movie has been pushed back more than once, there's a chance Goth and Lindo won't appear. We'll have to wait and see!
Finally there may be one more cast member coming in from another recent Marvel movie…
About That Eternals Post-Credits Scene
Fans of Marvel's ETERNALS will already know that we've heard the voice of Mahershala Ali in the movie's post-credits scene. As Kit Harington's character opens a box that holds the Ebony Blade, we hear Ali say "You sure you're ready for that, Mr. Whitman?" We don't see Ali as Blade, but hearing his voice was a good moment.
This has also led to the assumption that Kit Harington will appear in Blade as the Black Knight, a character who has been a member of several different Marvel Comics super-teams since his comic book introduction in the 1960s.
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All images courtesy of Marvel Studios.