Blade: Aaron Pierre No Longer Attached To Marvel Movie

It's an interesting time for Marvel Studios with recent rumors circulating about a change in the studio's strategy. They are only releasing one film this year, and other long-awaited projects no longer have release dates. One project that seems to be in limbo is Blade. The film keeps getting pushed back, but star Mahershala Ali gave an encouraging update in December. The movie does still have a 2025 release date, but the project keeps encountering setbacks. In fact, it looks like the project has lost a member of its cast. It was announced at the beginning of 2022 that Krypton's Aaron Pierre had joined the project, but the actor shared a disappointing update when talking to Variety at the NAACP Image Awards. 

"Early on, there were conversations," Pierre explained of his involvement. "As the project evolved, I'm no longer part of that – attached."

Who Is Sill Involved With Blade?

Bassam Tariq was originally slated to direct Blade with Stacy Osei-Kuffour penning the script, but they exited two months before production was originally supposed to start. Yann Demange stepped in as director while Michael Green was hired as screenwriter. Currently, it is still unclear when the film will start production. As for the cast, Ali is still signed on as the titular character. It was previously reported that Delroy Lindo and Mia Goth were also signed on to the project, and there has been no news suggesting they've also departed. 

"We're working on it. That's the best I could tell you," Ali said in a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly. "I'm really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we'll be back at it relatively soon."

Currently, Blade is scheduled to be released on November 7th, 2025. 

What MCU Movie Is Coming Out This Year?

The only MCU film slated for 2024 is Deadpool & Wolverine. The threequel was helmed by Shawn Levy from a script written by Bob's Burgers' Wendy Molyneaux and Lizzie Molyneaux-Loeglin, with Deadpool and Deadpool 2 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick reportedly also returning to contribute to the script. Not much is known about the script, but there has been a lot of speculation and exciting teases. 

In addition to Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Deadpool 3 will also star Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, and Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen. While speaking with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Levy addressed the many wild rumors surrounding the film and talked about the movie's connection to the greater MCU. 

"I'm so wary of giving anything away because I've learned the hard way that even with a few titles – like any Marvel title – everything and anything you say can lead to not only rumors but misinformation. I'll just say this: It's very much part of the MCU, what a privilege, what a wealth of resources and knowledge."

Deadpool & Wolverine is scheduled to be released on July 26th. Stay tuned for more updates about Marvel Studios' upcoming projects.