Mahershala Ali still hopes his “Blade” movie will happen, but the ball is in Marvel Studios’ court.
Will MCU’s “Blade” Get Made?
Variety asked the actor about when “Blade” would start production at the New York premiere of “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Ali simply said, “Call Marvel. I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready.”
Also on the “Jurassic World Rebirth” red carpet, Ali answered a question about “Blade” from The Hollywood Reporter. He said, “You know, I’m just taking it a day at a time. I’m doing the best work I can. […] I would love for Blade to happen. We’ll see, I don’t know where Marvel is at right now.”
Rumors have indicated the “Blade” film was scrapped, but the character could still show up in the MCU.
Marvel Studios announced the MCU’s “Blade” and Ali’s casting in the lead role at Comic-Con in 2019. Since then, there have been repeated delays. Bassam Tariq was originally set to direct but left the project in 2022. Yann Demanger was then attached but also left the project. Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo were both signed on to act at one point, but both left the project. Last year, Eric Pearson (“Thunderbolts*” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”) was rewriting the script.
It has also gone through multiple release dates, originally set for a 2023 release. Its most recent release date was November 7, 2025, but last October, Marvel removed it from their calendar completely.
At D23 Brazil — A Disney Experience, Marvel head Kevin Feige said they are “still committed” to making “Blade.”
“We love the character,” Feige said. “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.”
Ali did get to portray Blade, a.k.a. Eric Brooks, in an uncredited voice cameo at the end of “Eternals” (2021), setting up his future appearance.
Ali stars as Duncan Kincaid in “Jurassic World Rebirth” alongside Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett and Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis.
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