All About Blade Starring Mahershala Ali, from the Cast to Production Delays

Warning: spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine ahead. 

Marvel’s Blade has faced significant delays since it was first announced in 2019.

Decades after Wesley Snipes starred as the titular vampire hunter in the 1998 film, Marvel announced during the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con that it would be rebooting the franchise with Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the lead.

Since then, the film has faced multiple shakeups as various writers and directors have dropped out of the project, causing production to be pushed back several times. 

In December 2023, Ali gave an update on the film, telling Entertainment Weekly he remained optimistic about the project.

“We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you,” the actor said. “I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.”

Recently, the film sparked headlines again because Snipes made a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine. While reprising his role as Blade, he subtly addressed the reboot’s production delays, quipping, that there's "only ever gonna be one Blade.”

Here’s everything to know about the status of the new Blade movie. 

Mahershala Ali is slated to take on the mantle of Blade in the new movie. The official announcement was made in 2019 as the actor appeared at San Diego Comic-Con. 

Since then, only a few cast members have been announced, including Delroy Lindo and Mia Goth, though their characters haven’t been announced. Aaron Pierre was previously announced to star, but later confirmed he was no longer attached to the project in May 2024. 

“Early on, there were conversations,” Pierre told Variety. “As the project evolved, I’m no longer part of that — attached.”

During the premiere of her film MaXXXine, Goth spoke with Deadline about the significant production delays, noting that those behind the movie “really care, they do. They want to make a great movie. That’s the sense that I get from them and that feels good.”

In February 2021, Snipes revealed that he is not involved in the Blade reboot, but gave Ali his blessing in the role. "I don't have any involvement, but I support the young artists and I support Marvel in their business decisions," Snipes told Uproxx. "It's a beautiful thing. I think it's a heck of a job. He's got a heck of a job on his hands."

He doubled down on his support for Ali as people compared the two actors online. In response to one fan who wrote that the two-time Oscar winner would "have a hard time outdoing" Snipes as Blade, he wro -

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te, "He will do great," along with a prayer hands emoji.

Later that year, Ali noted that he was grateful for Snipes’ support. "Man, you know, I'm humbled and so encouraged by that," Ali said on an episode of The Breakfast Club. "Because he didn't have to say that."

"So, for him to come out and say that as somebody I look up to so much, I sincerely appreciated that," he later added. "So, thank you, brother."

Blade has gone through multiple writers since the project was first announced, including Michael Green, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury, Beau DeMayo and Nic Pizzolatto. 

The latest update was in June 2024, when Eric Pearson joined the film as the new screenwriter. Pearson is no stranger to the MCU, having previously penned the screenplay for Thor: Ragnarok and Black Widow. He is also working on upcoming MCU films such as Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four.

At the moment, it is unclear who will be directing Blade. Since the reboot was announced, two separate directors have dropped out of the project.

Bassam Tariq, who helmed Mogul Mowgli, was originally tapped to direct in July 2021 but exited the film in September 2022. Yann Demange, who worked on Lovecraft Country and Top Boy, joined that November before exiting in June 2024.

In February 2023, Marvel president Kevin Feige gave an update on filming, telling EW that production was expected to start in the next “10 weeks.” However, those plans were quickly derailed as pre-production on the project was reportedly shut down amid the writer’s strike.

Since then, Marvel hasn’t given an update on when filming will commence.

While promoting Deadpool & Wolverine in July 2024, Feige gave one substantial update on the upcoming movie: the rating. Like the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-led film, which marked the first R-rated entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he teased that Blade will have an R rating.

“I think that’s right,” Feige told BlackTree TV, per Variety. “I mean, for the last two years as we’ve been trying to crack that movie, the most important thing for us is not rushing it and making sure we are making the right Blade movie.”

Like the rest of the film, the release date for Blade has shifted several times. At the moment, it’s slated to hit theaters on Nov. 7, 2025, and will be part of Phase 6 in the MCU.

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