Mahershala Ali's Blade Movie Reportedly Dead

It appears that the eagerly anticipated Blade movie has finally met its end. The Marvel Cinematic Universe film, which promised to bring Mahershala Ali into the fold as the iconic Daywalker, has encountered numerous obstacles over the years, and it now seems the project has stalled indefinitely. This development is particularly disappointing for fans who were excited to see Ali take on the role.

Rapper and artist Flying Lotus recently shared on X / Twitter that he was set to contribute music to the film before it fell through. "I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru," he stated, adding that while he doubts it will happen, it would have been an exciting project to be part of. Flying Lotus, who directed the new sci-fi horror ASH for Shudder, expressed a sense of loss over the project's cancellation.

The day before Flying Lotus' announcement, costume designer Ruth E. Carter revealed on The John Campea Show that she was slated to design costumes for Blade before production collapsed. Carter also mentioned that the film was intended to be set in the 1920s, which would have offered a unique setting and potentially stunning costume and production designs.

Adding to the series of unfortunate updates, actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to star in the film alongside Ali, spoke about the project's demise to Entertainment Weekly. Lindo highlighted the initial enthusiasm from Marvel and the inclusive approach they promised, which made the project exciting both conceptually and in terms of character development. However, he noted that it ultimately "went off the rails."

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with plans to release the film in November of this year. The project has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, but none have been able to see it through to completion.

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Despite the setbacks, it's only been six months since Blade was removed from Marvel's release schedule in October 2024, and no new release date has been confirmed. However, in November 2024, MCU boss Kevin Feige reiterated the studio's commitment to the project during an interview with Omelete. "We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening," Feige said, emphasizing that the character will eventually make it to the MCU.