PROJECT DETAILS:
According to Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider, this solo Blade movie is no longer happening and the Blade character will instead debut in an upcoming Midnight Sons movie. Keep in mind that this is currently just a rumor. For those unfamiliar with Midnight Sons, it's an early 90's comicbook series that featured a team of supernatural superheroes, specifically Morbius and Blade, along with other characters like Ghost Rider. The team would deal with various supernatural threats. (1/9/26)

Producer Kevin Feige gave another update on the project, revealing that it's still in development and that during the development process there were four versions of the movie, two of which were set in the past (one in the 1930s). Despite that, it appears they're going with modern day, as Feige was quoted saying "we landed on modern day and that’s what we’re focusing on." On the topic of the troubled development, he also said the following: "We didn’t want to put a leather outfit on [Ali] and have him start killing vampires. [...] You can start and have a good script and make it a great script through production, but we didn’t feel confident we could do that on Blade. We didn’t want to do that to Mahershala and didn’t want to do that to us." (7/21/25)

According to industry scooper Jeff Sneider, Chad Stahelski (director of all four John Wick movies) is the latest name attached as director. This rumor was first mentioned earlier in the month, and seems to be reiterated by Sneider in a recent post. Keep in mind that this is simply a rumor at the moment, especially since Stahelski is still busy working on the Highlander remake, but it's possible he could take on the job once that's finished. (3/27/25)

Producer Kevin Feige offered another update on the project, detailing that despite all the troubles he's still committed to making it, saying: "We’re committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala’s version of him. And rest assured, whenever we change direction with a project, or are still trying to figure out how it fits into our schedule, we let the public know. You’re updated on what’s going on. But I can say that the character will make it to the MCU." (11/11/24)

It looks like the studio has removed the film's original November 7th 2025 release off the schedule entirely. The studio is reportedly taking their time with the project, as they want to get things right for the movie. At the moment it's unknown if they ever found a new director to take over, but considering the release date has been removed it seems unlikely. (10/22/24)

It's being reported that the film has a tentative November 1st production start. This possibly indicates that the studio is finally happy with the current draft of the script. Keep in mind that the studio still needs to find a director, so we'll have to see whether production actually begins in November. (7/3/24)

A recent article on THR revealed that actor Delroy Lindo has left the project. The article also details that a previous iteration of the story was set in the 1920s and featured Mia Goth as a vampire named Lilith, who wanted the blood of Blade's daughter. This confirms a rumored plot that was revealed earlier in the year. Either way, that storyline is no longer moving forward, as the current script has the film reportedly set in modern day. That may still change, as the plan now is for the script to once again be rewritten over the summer before going out to directors. (6/20/24)

It looks like Yann Demange ('71, White Boy Rick) is no longer helming the project, according to The Wrap. The site reports that it was an amicable split and the filmmaker actually left the project "a while ago". According to the site's insider, "getting Blade right is much more important than getting the film out." Adding that "the Blade movies were so important to the Marvel brand back in the late 1990s/early 2000s and the team feels an incredible amount of responsibility and pressure to crack this character and story." Time will tell if the release date will need to be pushed again, but at the moment it's still slated for a November 7th 2025 theatrical release. (6/12/24)

Industry scooper Daniel Richtman is reporting that the film's overall story is finally nailed down and a new writer is now being sought after to polish the current script. Filming is still expected to continue later this year in Mexico or Brazil. (5/27/24)

Filming is reportedly set to begin sometime this Fall. There's also rumors that the release date may get pushed to 2026. (4/1/24)

Some rumored story details have been revealed according to industry scooper Daniel Richtman. He reveals that the movie is an R-rated period piece and will revolve around "Lilith going after Blade’s daughter’s blood to create an army of Daywalkers." Lilith will also be wielding the Ebony Blade, which was featured in a stinger in The Eternals, which had Mahershala Ali as Blade in a voice cameo. Keep in mind that this is merely a rumor at the moment since nothing has been officially revealed. (2/6/24)

There have been some off and on rumors that the film may not be rated R, but director Yann Demange has confirmed in a recent interview that he has been given the go-ahead from the studio to go for the R-rating. Here's what he had to say: "They gave me the R, which is so important." Adding... "I come out of this wanting to be more open, more vulnerable and bring a more personal aspect to my work. But for Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor. I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen." The project is currently still on hold until the actor's strike is resolved. (11/6/23)

The movie's release date has been pushed back from September 6th 2024 to February 14th 2025. (6/13/23)

Pre-Production on this film has been put on hold due to the current writers strike. Nic Pizzolatto was working on an updated draft of the script, but "time simply ran out." Filming was originally aimed to begin sometime next month in Atlanta, but it looks like that's no longer happening. (5/6/23)

Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) has been hired to rewrite Michael Starrbury's script. The filmmakers are still aiming for a late May shoot in Atlanta. (4/28/23)

Marvel producer Kevin Feige offered a brief, but optomistic update on the project recently, saying: "It's going well. Our director Yann [Demange] is down in Atlanta right now. Cameras roll in, like, the next 10 weeks or so." (2/14/23)

Reportedly after several weeks of meetings and pitches, the studio has hired Yann Demange ('71, White Boy Rick) to helm the pic after "delivering a pitch that execs were excited about." The studio also hired Michael Starrbury (When They See Us) to write a new script. It's also said that "Marvel is looking to go with a darker tone on this film than other MCU projects have been in the past." Filming is aimed to begin sometime next year in Atlanta. (11/21/22)

It looks like the studio is officially pausing production that was hoped to begin in Atlanta this November. With Bassam Tariq leaving as director it has given the studio a chance to slow things down and reportedly "get things right." They still hope to resume production early next year, but that depends on if they can find the right director to take over the project. The original release date of November 3rd 2023 has been pushed to September 6th 2024. (10/11/22)

More details have been revealed on the status of the project, with reports indicating that production is aimed to begin sometime early next year, which if accurate, would theoretically give the studio enough time to find a new director. Keep in mind that this has not been confirmed. It was also revealed that Beau DeMayo (the latest writer to work on the script) is essentially doing a full rewrite rather than a polish. At this point it seems unlikely the film will meet its scheduled November 3rd 2023 theatrical release, but only time will tell. (10/3/22)

Filming was originally aimed to begin this November in Atlanta, but director Bassam Tariq had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. The studio is now in search of a new director for the project, which has reportedly gone under several rewrites, with Beau DeMayo (The Originals, The Witcher, Moon Knight) being the latest writer on the film. (9/28/22)

After an extensive search, Marvel has reportedly found Bassam Tariq to be the best candidate to direct this new Blade and it was his vision for the project that ultimately won over the studio. Bassam Tariq has mostly helmed documentaries until he ventured into feature films with last year's Mogul Mowgli, which starred Riz Ahmed. (7/19/21)

Pre-production was originally aimed to begin this September, but it has been pushed to July 2022. Apparently the studio wants to take their time with the project with writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour and not rush things. (5/5/21)

The studio originally hired Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen series, Hunters) to script the film.

Marvel recently announced that Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage, Green Book, True Detective) will be the new Blade. (7/21/19)

Since New Line opted not to move forward with another Blade movie the rights to the franchise eventually went back to Marvel, who have decided to reboot it and add it to their upcoming line of films.

This is a reboot of the Blade franchise.