Mahershala Ali's Blade Movie Likely Cancelled

It seems that the much-anticipated Blade movie has finally met its demise. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) project, which promised to bring Mahershala Ali's rendition of the iconic Daywalker to life, has encountered numerous obstacles over the years. Unfortunately, it appears that the film has now stalled indefinitely, dashing hopes of seeing Ali in the role.

Rapper and artist Flying Lotus recently took to X / Twitter to discuss his involvement in the project, revealing that Blade is no longer moving forward. "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 shared. Flying Lotus, who recently directed Shudder's sci-fi horror ASH, expressed his doubts about the project's revival, stating, "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."

Adding to the disappointment, costume designer Ruth E. Carter confirmed on The John Campea Show that she was set to work on Blade before the production fell apart. Carter revealed that the film was intended to be set in the 1920s, a setting that would have offered unique opportunities for both costume and production design.

Actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to star alongside Ali, shared his experience with the project in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "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 an initial release planned for November of this year. However, the project has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, without any lasting progress.

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Despite the setbacks, it's been only six months since Blade was removed from Marvel's release schedule in October 2024, and no new release date has been confirmed. However, MCU boss Kevin Feige remains optimistic. In an interview with Omelete in November 2024, he stated, "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. But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."