Credit: A24The upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot of Blade, the Daywalker formerly played by Wesley Snipes, has stumbled on pretty much every step of pre-production. According to star Mia Goth, however, things are going totally fine, and she’s optimistic about the project.
For the record, Blade was originally scheduled to be released in November 2o23, meaning that it is close to a year past that and has not even begun principal photography. The movie, which will star Mahershala Ali as the Marvel Comics icon, has since been delayed to September 2024, then February 2025, then November 2025. With that track record, we may not see it in theaters for years to come.
The Blade reboot was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 when Marvel Studios chief (and avowed Blade fan) Kevin Feige revealed that Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali would be taking over for Wesley Snipes as the character. The IP had been acquired by Disney seven years before that, but it appears that plans to introduce him to the MCU have been continually deprioritized.
Related: Disney Shocks Fans by Scrapping Anticipated ‘Blade’ Reboot Plan: Report
According to all appearances, that still is happening. Blade has burned through two directors: Bassam Tariq, the filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed Mogul Mowgli (2020), and Yann Demange, whom Mahershala Ali reportedly personally selected. While Marvel Studios is frantically trying to figure out what is happening with Avengers 5 and the Multiverse, it seems that Blade is low on the priority list.
Numerous writers have come and gone on the film. Original screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour was replaced by Beau DeMayo (who was also canned by Marvel before the release of his massively successful X-Men ’97), who was in turn replaced by Michael Starrbury, then True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, and then Michael Green. Eric Pearson is reportedly working on yet another new version of the story, despite past reports of the screenplay finally being locked down.
In sum, it is safe to say that the Blade reboot is in a weird place, and even the creative team behind the film is pretty chaotic. Despite that, Mia Goth, who has been cast in the film as (reportedly) primary villain Lilith, told Entertainment Tonight that she was “very optimistic” and “very much so” about the film moving forward.
Related: ‘Blade’ Star Drops Out of Doomed Marvel Reboot
Mia Goth went on to say that the people working on Blade “really care, they do. They want to make a great movie. That’s the sense that I get from them and that feels good.”
Mia Goth on her experience working with Marvel for her MCU debut in “Blade”:
“They want to make a great movie. That's the sense that I get from them and that feels good.” pic.twitter.com/DbAe6HlIGd
— Mia Goth Crew (@miagothcrew) June 25, 2024
To be fair, it would be untoward of Mia Goth to publicly speak ill of a movie that she has been cast in, and, to be even more generous, the multiple retools of Blade could be a sign that Marvel will not be satisfied with a subpar film. It seems that Wesley Snipes is the only one who gets to talk trash about Blade.
Do you think Blade will ever be released? Tell us your theories about what’s going on with the Daywalker below!