Mahershala Ali's Blade Movie Project Appears to Be Dead

The much-anticipated Blade movie seems to have finally lost all its momentum, with the project hitting numerous roadblocks and now appearing to be indefinitely stalled. This development is particularly disappointing for fans who were eagerly awaiting Mahershala Ali's portrayal of the iconic Daywalker, which many consider to be a significant loss for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to share his involvement in the project, revealing that he was set to compose the music for Blade before the film fell through. "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 new sci-fi horror ASH, expressed doubts about the project's revival but acknowledged that it would have been a fun opportunity.

The day before Flying Lotus' announcement, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, during an appearance on The John Campea Show, confirmed her involvement in designing costumes for Blade. She revealed that the film was intended to be set in the 1920s, promising unique and exciting costume and production designs.

Adding to the series of unfortunate updates, actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to the film alongside Ali, discussed the project's collapse with Entertainment Weekly. He shared his initial excitement about the inclusive approach Marvel seemed to take with his input and the character development, only to see the project derail for unspecified reasons.

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with a planned release in November of this year if everything had gone according to plan. The film has seen multiple directors, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, come and go without staying on board.

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Despite the setbacks, it's been just six months since Blade was removed from Marvel's release schedule in October 2024, and no new release date has been confirmed. However, a month after the film's removal, MCU boss Kevin Feige reassured fans of the studio's commitment to bringing Blade to life. "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 told Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."