Summary

Mahershala Ali’s representation, lawyer Shelby Weiser, says
Blade’s
delay is “the craziest thing in my professional experience.”
Ali was announced as the titular star of the still-sidelined
Blade
almost five years ago at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.
Earlier in the week,
Blade
lost its director once again when Yann Demange’s departure from the project was announced.

As far as clichés are concerned, “all good things come to those who wait” takes on a whole new meaning where it relates to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s still-sidelined Blade. It’s been almost five years since the MCU panel at the 2019 Comic-Con revealed that the Oscar-winning Mahershala Ali would portray the half-human, half-vampire titular character in an upcoming film. And Ali’s representation, lawyer Shelby Weiser, can’t get over the fact that the movie still hasn’t come to fruition all these years later. Weiser said (per The Hollywood Reporter):

That deal was in 2019, and they still haven’t shot it, which is pretty much the craziest thing in my professional experience.

The original Blade (1998) starred Wesley Snipes and led to a pair of sequels: Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004). While MCU fans best know Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth, it’s worth noting that the Deadpool star first teamed up with Snipes’ version of the half-human, half-vampire in Blade III. Now, flash forward 15 years.

Blade (1998) Release Date August 21, 1998 Runtime 2hr Studio Amen Ra Films, Imaginary Forces, Marvel Enterprises Tagline The power of an immortal. The soul of a human. The heart of a hero. Franchise Marvel Expand

The famed Comic-Con of 2019 featured a Marvel panel in Hall H that whet the appetites of die-hard MCU fans with a full slate of highly anticipated entries (Black Widow, Thor: Love and Thunder, Hawkeye, What If…?, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Eternals), all of which have already seen the light of day except for Ali’s announced Blade reimagining.

Mahershala Ali Was ‘Really Encouraged,’ More Setbacks for Blade

Mahershala Ali was coming fresh off of his Academy Award win (Best Supporting Actor) — the second of his career — for his work in the Oscar-winning Green Book (2018) when the President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, revealed that the actor would follow in the footsteps of Wesley Snipes as the new Blade. Back in December of 2023, Ali seemed both excited and encouraged as he updated the progress being made on his version of Blade. Ali said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:

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

Related Blade’s MCU Delays & Production Issues Explained Blade has encountered many production delays and while some fans might think it is simple, there is more than slaying vampires the MCU movie must do.

Sadly, the Ali’s Blade film suffered another setback this week when it was reported that Yann Demange is no longer directing the MCU project. It’s just another in a long line of departures, which includes Bassam Tariq. Tariq was originally hired to helm the movie, which was then slated to hit theaters in 2023. Fantastic Four’s Eric Pearson remains the writer on the Blade project.

Marvel’s website still lists
Blade’s
release date as November 7, 2025, at the time of this writing.