Trouble Brews for MCU’s ‘Blade’ Production as Mahershala Ali Dives into New Project: “Key Players Are Not Happy”

Marvel has several upcoming projects slated for release in the coming years. Many of these projects have faced delays or cancellations due to the historic SAG-AFTRA strike that affected the entire industry. One highly anticipated Marvel Studios project, ‘Blade,’ encountered issues even before the strikes began.

‘Blade’ is an MCU movie centered around Eric Brooks, a prominent vampire hunter in comics. It serves as a reboot of the beloved ‘Blade’ trilogy, which played a significant role in shaping the MCU as we know it today.

Summarizing all the challenges faced by ‘Blade’ is quite a task. Mahershala Ali, the movie’s lead, pitched the idea to the studio a while back and was officially announced as Blade in 2018. Since then, the project has grappled with constant script issues, leading to several changes in writers throughout its development.

The latest rumors, shared by John Campea in his podcast, suggest another writer change as Michael Green exits the production. Allegedly, the development has reverted to square one as “key players” involved are reportedly dissatisfied with the story.

Campea suggested that we might soon hear the familiar line “Mahershala Ali has left the production due to scheduling conflicts,” which could spell the end of the movie. With Ali now confirmed for ‘Jurassic World 4,’ announced yesterday, the likelihood of a scheduling conflict seems high if ‘Blade’ is still aiming to start shooting in 2025.

Reportedly, Ali nearly walked away from the project several times. With a string of writer changes, many speculate that he might be the issue causing production delays. It’s understandable that an Academy Award winner wouldn’t be pleased with subpar scripts from Marvel.

Originally, reports indicated that Blade’s daughter would be the main character, with Blade himself taking a secondary role. However, recent reports suggest a shift, focusing more on Blade hunting vampires, with the Ebony Blade making an appearance.

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