New Details Emerge About Blade's Rocky Development At Marvel Studios

Not every Marvel movie has had a smooth path to the big screen. Edgar Wright spent the better part of a decade developing Ant-Man, and he didn't even get to direct the film because he left over creative differences with Marvel Studios. But so far, one of Marvel's most troubled films in development has been Blade, which recently lost its second director, Yann Demange. Now, a new report has shed some light on Blade's rocky development, including details about the previous drafts of the film.

Mahershala Ali and Kevin Feige jointly announced the Blade reboot at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Ali has had "an inordinate amount of influence" on this film behind-the-scenes. The report indicates that Ali took it upon himself to recruit Damange as the director because he was unsatisfied with Marvel's potential replacements for Bassam Tariq, the first director to exit Blade in 2022.

Numerous scribes have turned in scripts for Blade, some of which were set in different time periods. The version of Blade that was almost filmed in 2023 would have been set in the 1920s. Mia Goth was cast as Lilith, an ancient vampire who wanted the blood of Blade's daughter for some nefarious purpose. That take on the film has been abandoned in favor of a new script set in the present. However, Goth remains the only cast member besides Ali who is still attached to the film. Other cast members, including Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre, have been released. It's unclear if Blade's daughter is still a part of the movie.

There has reportedly been tension between Ali and Marvel over the slow pace of Blade's development, but neither side is abandoning the movie. The Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts screenwriter Eric Pearson is the latest writer to take on a draft of Blade. Once Pearson finishes his script, the search for a new director may begin as soon as the end of this summer.

For now, Blade is still slated to be released on November 7, 2025. However, it's very unlikely to keep that date, and it will probably be rescheduled.