Credit: Inside the MagicMahershala Ali was not present for Blade’s first Marvel Studios appearance.
Marvel Studios’ long-delayed Blade reboot once again hit a setback last year. Disney officially removed the film from its release calendar in late 2024, confirming that the Mahershala Ali–led project was no longer slated for its planned November 2025 debut.
Initially expected to launch in 2024, Blade has endured years of rewrites and director changes since its 2019 announcement. Yann Demange, who was most recently attached to direct following Bassam Tariq’s departure, exited last year. The project’s turbulent creative journey has involved several writers, including Michael Green, Nic Pizzolatto, and Stacy Osei-Kaffeur, while Mia Goth remains set to co-star.
“For the last few years, we’ve been trying to crack that movie,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Black Tree TV last year. “I think the most important thing for us is not rushing it and making sure that we’re making the right Blade movie because there were some great Blade movies years ago.”
According to Deadline, “In what comes as no surprise, Marvel Studios’ Blade won’t be coming out on November 7, 2025; rather, Disney is opening 20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands.”
Predator: Badlands will serve as a sequel to 2022’s acclaimed Prey, with Dan Trachtenberg returning to direct and Elle Fanning leading the cast. The shift not only marks another delay for Blade but also underscores Disney’s broader recalibration of its Marvel slate, with CEO Bob Iger limiting the studio to three films and two Disney+ series per year to prioritize quality.
While Ali’s live-action debut as the vampire hunter remains on hold, Marvel’s recent Marvel Zombies animated series introduced a new take on the character. Invincible actor Todd Williams voices a Multiversal variant known as Blade Knight, a role many assumed would be reserved for Ali.
“Surprisingly, this might also act as the debut for Blade in the Marvel film line, with actor Todd Williams taking on a very different interpretation of the Day Walker,” Comic Book reported.
But why did Mahershala Ali only appear in likeness and not voice in Marvel Zombies? Executives on the project, Bryan Andrews and Brad Winderbaum, have spoken out to clarify matters.
“In an interview with POC Culture, the pair of Marvel executives addressed why Ali did not appear as Blade in the recently released Marvel Zombies. The most significant factor, they said, was ‘timing,'” The Direct reported.
“‘It was really a timing issue more than anything else,’ Winderbaum, Marvel’s Head of Streaming, Television and Animation, remarked. Andrews, one of the show’s creators, added they ‘would have loved’ to have had Ali on the project,” the outlet continued.
The four-episode Marvel Zombies miniseries–originally conceived as a film–premiered on September 24, 2025, on Disney+, marking the studio’s first TV-MA-rated animated project. Developed by Zeb Wells and directed by Bryan Andrews, Zombies continues the story introduced in What If…? and features a star-studded voice cast including Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), and Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch).
Feige has reassured fans that Ali remains attached to Blade, confirming that multiple iterations have been developed, with Marvel ultimately choosing a modern-day setting. With several unclaimed MCU release dates still open through 2028, the Daywalker’s return could yet find its moment, even if fans have to wait a little longer.
How do you feel about the long wait for Blade in the MCU? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!