Mahershala Ali's Blade Movie Reportedly Dead

The highly anticipated Blade movie has officially hit a dead end, draining the excitement that once surrounded this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) project. Over the years, the film has encountered numerous hurdles, leading to its current state of indefinite suspension. This unfortunate development also means that fans will not see Mahershala Ali embody the iconic Daywalker, a significant disappointment for the MCU community.

Rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to share his involvement in the project, revealing that Blade is indeed no more. "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," stated the DJ, who recently directed Shudder’s new sci-fi horror ASH. "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."

Just a day before Flying Lotus’ tweet, costume designer Ruth E. Carter confirmed on The John Campea Show that she was set to design costumes for Blade before the project fell apart. Adding to the disappointment, the film was planned to be set in the 1920s, promising unique and captivating costume and production designs.

Actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to star alongside Ali, shared his thoughts on the project's collapse just days before Carter’s revelation. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he told Entertainment Weekly. "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 intended release this coming November. However, the project has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, without any sticking to the film.

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Despite the turmoil, 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, a month after the film was pulled, MCU boss Kevin Feige expressed the studio's commitment to the project. "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 said in an interview with Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."