MCU’s Most Troubled Production Still in The Works Reports Claim, Could Release in 2028
The long-delayed Blade reboot is still alive at Marvel Studios, but it’s been anything but smooth sailing.
According to recent reports, the movie is still in development and could finally hit theaters in 2028, though fans have heard that before.
The new Blade film was first announced back in 2019 when Mahershala Ali joined the project. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made the announcement during San Diego Comic-Con that year. Ali, who previously played Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, was excited to take on the role. He even made a brief voice cameo in Eternals in 2021.
Since then, however, the project has faced delay after delay. Directors and writers have come and gone. Bassam Tariq was once attached, then Yann Demange stepped in, only to reportedly exit the project in March 2025 due to allegedly being difficult to work with. Around that same time, Marvel paused development altogether and pulled Blade from its release calendar.
As of June 2024, Eric Pearson, best known for writing Black Widow, was working on a new version of the script, and Marvel is still searching for a director. Michael Green is also helping out with the writing. Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Eric Carroll, and even Tariq are still listed as producers.
Rumors have swirled about Mahershala Ali nearly walking away from the film more than once. Some insiders have hinted that creative differences may be a major reason for the repeated delays.
One theory is that Ali wasn’t happy with the way the story focused on Blade’s daughter, a character who was supposed to take the spotlight while Blade himself played a smaller role. That version of the story may have since been scrapped.
Other reports claimed that Ali himself is the biggest problem regarding the production, as the actor aimed for this project to be for him what Black Panther was for Chadwick Boseman, with an extremely heavy cultural impact.
The last rumored update regarding the script is that the movie will center on Blade doing what he does best, hunting vampires. The Ebony Blade, a powerful weapon in the Marvel universe, is also expected to appear.
There’s also been renewed talk about a Midnight Sons movie, which Blade was originally meant to lead into. But with this many setbacks, fans are starting to wonder if the reboot will ever actually get made.
Marvel hasn’t confirmed anything new officially, but as always, plans can change. For now, all eyes are on whether the studio can finally get this vampire hunter back on the big screen.
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