Mahershala Ali's Blade Film Project Appears to Be Dead

The much-anticipated Blade movie has seemingly drained its last drop of blood, leaving fans disappointed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe project, announced with great fanfare back at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, has faced numerous setbacks and now appears to have stalled indefinitely. Perhaps the most significant loss is the absence of Mahershala Ali, who was set to portray the iconic Daywalker.

This week, rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to discuss his involvement in the project. He revealed that he was signed on to compose the music for Blade 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 said. He recently directed Shudder’s new sci-fi horror ASH and expressed doubts about Blade ever coming back around, though he noted it would have been a fun project.

Just a day before Flying Lotus' tweet, costume designer Ruth E. Carter appeared on The John Campea Show and confirmed her role in the project. She was set to design costumes for Blade, which was planned to be set in the 1920s, promising some truly remarkable costume and production designs.

Adding to the series of disappointments, actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to star alongside Ali, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the project's collapse. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he said. "And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails."

Blade has cycled through multiple directors, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, none of whom stayed with the film. If everything had gone according to plan, fans would have been eagerly awaiting its release in November of this year. However, the movie was removed from Marvel’s release schedule in October 2024, and no new date has been confirmed.

Despite these setbacks, MCU boss Kevin Feige remains committed to the project. In an interview with Omelete in November 2024, he stated, "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. But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."

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With the numerous challenges faced by the Blade adaptation, it's remarkable to think that it has been only six months since its removal from the release schedule. Yet, the future remains uncertain, leaving fans to wonder if they will ever see Mahershala Ali bring the Daywalker to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.