Credit: Marvel StudiosIn a report on a recent retreat for Marvel Studios, it was revealed that Kevin Feige is looking to scrap multiple projects, and one that he’s considering is the reboot of Blade (2025).
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been one of the most dominant forces at the box office for the past two decades. While superhero movies have been a thing since the massive success of Superman: The Movie (1978), they were still always seen as a gamble. However, Marvel Studios created a formula that seemingly guaranteed success.
These films have brought iconic Marvel Comics characters to a larger populace who otherwise may not have known them. This includes Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), The Incredible Hulk (Edward Norton/Mark Ruffalo), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani).
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Arguably, the most considerable influence on this success has been Marvel boss Kevin Feige. After serving as an associate producer on X-Men (2000), he became the second-in-command at Marvel Studios, where he noticed that the company still had the rights to the core members of the Avengers. The rest, as they say, is history.
However, the massive success of the MCU has gone downhill in the past few years after The Avengers: Endgame (2019). Much of this depreciation has been attributed to superhero fatigue, and Feige seems to realize that since he wants to “pull the plug” on projects that aren’t working.
Kevin Feige Wants To Cut Multiple Projects, Blade is on the Chopping Block
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According to a report from Variety, public criticism has led to Marvel Head Kevin Feige wanting to completely scrap projects that aren’t working, and one of the most challenging movies has been the reboot of Blade starring two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali as the titular vampire.
Initially, the film looked promising and was scheduled for a 2023 release date. However, numerous factors have become roadblocks on the movie’s path to success, including the script going through five different groups of writers and production shut down, leading to Ali almost walking out on the film. At one point, Blade was relegated to the fourth lead in the film, which makes no sense in a movie about Blade.
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Feige seemed ready to call it quits but decided to keep the project going. He hired Michael Green, a screenwriter known for Logan (2017), to completely rewrite the film. While there is still the possibility of it being scrapped, the word around Hollywood is that the movie will be released in 2025 with a budget of around $100 million.
That may seem like a lot of money, but it is significantly less than what Marvel usually puts toward one of their films. For example, The Marvels (2023) has a budget of around $250 million. However, this cost-cutting strategy may be what the studio needs to regain its grip on the box office. Only time will tell regarding the fate of Blade and the entire MCU.
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