Mahershala Ali's Blade Movie Likely Dead

The much-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, Blade, appears to have hit a dead end. After facing numerous obstacles over the years, the project seems to have officially stalled, dashing hopes of seeing Mahershala Ali take on the iconic role of the Daywalker. This could be one of the most significant setbacks for the MCU to date.

Rapper and artist Flying Lotus recently took to X / Twitter to share his involvement in the project, inadvertently confirming its cancellation. "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 stated. Flying Lotus, who recently directed Shudder’s sci-fi horror film ASH, expressed a glimmer of hope that the project might revive, though he remains doubtful. "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."

The day before Flying Lotus’ tweet, renowned costume designer Ruth E. Carter revealed on The John Campea Show that she was set to design costumes for Blade before the production collapsed. Adding to the disappointment, the film was slated to be set in the 1920s, promising a visually stunning experience through its costume and production design.

Actor Delroy Lindo, who was also set to star alongside Ali, added to the series of unfortunate updates. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly just days before Carter's revelation, Lindo shared his initial excitement about the project. "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 was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with a planned release in November of the current year. However, the project has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, without any success.

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Despite the project's tumultuous journey, it's surprising to note that it has been only six months since Blade was removed from Marvel’s release schedule in October 2024. No new release date has been set since then. However, a month after the film was pulled, MCU boss Kevin Feige reassured fans of the studio's commitment to the project. "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," he said in an interview with Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."