Marvel has officially announced that Blade, the reboot of the vampire-hunting hero popularized by Wesley Snipes in a film and two sequels at the turn of the century, has been removed from the 2025 schedule. Despite being one of Marvel’s best adaptations, Predator: Badlands will take its place. However, the decision feels bittersweet—this may be the final nail in the coffin for The Daywalker.
From November to an uncertain future. According to Variety, Marvel initially scheduled Blade for a Nov. 7, 2025, release, but now Predator: Badlands will fill that slot. This is the most significant change in Marvel’s revised schedule, which now includes three films set for 2028: Feb. 18, May 5, and Nov. 10. The move follows an expected decision after Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned in the summer that there would be a cap of three Marvel films per year. The three 2025 slots are already taken by Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic 4: First Steps.
Chronology of a disaster. Ironically, Blade’s first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appearance was, once again, in the hands of Snipes, whose character made a brief appearance in a Deadpool & Wolverine scene. The new Blade was supposed to be played by Mahershala Ali, who voiced the character in an uncredited post-credits cameo in Eternals back in 2021. Marvel originally announced the Blade reboot in 2019, but the project has faced numerous delays since then. Let’s review the timeline of this production nightmare:
2019. It was a good year for Marvel, before its first significant stumble with Eternals. At Comic-Con, the company announced the cast of Eternals and Natalie Portman’s return to the Thor franchise. It also introduced the reboot of Blade.
2021. This year marked the first major delay due to the pandemic. However, Marvel announced that screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen) and director Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) would be in charge of the film. By the end of the year, the company began assembling the cast, including Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre, and announced an initial release date of Nov. 3, 2023.
September 2022. Two months before production was set to begin, Tariq left the project. It became apparent that Ali, who wasn’t just starring but also producing, had a considerable influence on creative decisions. The star was also helping find a new director. For the first time, Marvel halted production, and the release date was pushed to Sept. 6, 2024, along with delays for other Phase 5 and Phase 6 titles.
Shortly after, Marvel began looking for new screenwriters. X-Men ‘97 writer Beau DeMayo later revealed on X that he had written three very different drafts—one was a period film, and another was described as a vampire version of The Raid. DeMayo also mentioned that, while Marvel could potentially make a great action movie on a modest budget like John Wick, it seemed the studio was unable to execute a project like this.
Then, Marvel brought in Michael Starrbury, writer of the series When They See Us, and Yann Demange, director of Lovecraft Territory. However, their ideas never gained traction, as they were too dark and violent for Marvel’s typical fare.
April 2022. Mia Goth, the rising star of B-horror, joined the cast as the vampire Lilith. However, the writers’ strike caused further delays. Marvel then hired True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto to work on the script, and he moved the setting back to the present day. The company aimed to start filming in June, adhering to its usual practice of beginning production even if the third act of the script wasn’t finalized. But as the strike persisted, production was once again halted.
Autumn 2023. The box-office failure of The Marvels affected the entire release schedule, while actor Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles ended the studio’s plans to center future MCU films around his character, Kang. As a result, Marvel decided that 2024 would be a “gap year,” with Deadpool & Wolverine as the only scheduled release.
At that time, Variety published a damning article detailing Blade’s precarious state. According to the report, Marvel was struggling to find a workable script. The current draft reportedly sidelines Blade as a supporting character to three new female vampire hunters who are learning “life lessons.” The film was also purportedly expected to have a notably low budget of under $100 million.
December 2023. Another official delay: Marvel pushes the release of Blade back to Nov. 7, 2025, and hires a new screenwriter, Michael Green (Logan, Alien: Covenant).
Spring 2024. The departures continue: Pierre leaves the cast, and Demange steps down as director. Another new screenwriter, Eric Pearson—co-writer of the upcoming Fantastic Four film—joins the project. By summer, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had announced that production is underway and confirms the film will be rated R. However, Blade seems to be slipping from Marvel’s priority list. Ali is set to begin filming the next Jurassic World project, tying him up for several months.
This whole process provides a few clues about how Marvel works. Perhaps the most telling issue is the company’s struggle to move this project forward in the way it handles its other productions. Making a vampire action film shouldn’t be too complex—both the Blade trilogy and the Underworld saga proved that the formula can be a box-office hit. But Marvel is trying to keep the budget tight while also staying open to fresh ideas, something it arguably needs now more than ever.
Image | Disney
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