Blade: Could Mahershala Ali's Marvel Movie Be Getting Ready to Start Production?

Blade may or may not be getting ready to start pre-production and the associated production efforts, all depending on who you ask. Early Friday, ace scooper Charles Murphy of Murphy's Multiverse fame published a new report regarding the discovery of a new production company owned by Marvel Studios. Since the initial reporting, it's been open to interpretation what movie the production company has been set up for exactly — though one that looks to be Murphy's favorite is none other than the pending Blade reboot.

Earlier in the week, investigative scoopers found Disney had registered a pair of companies in the United Kingdom, belonging to undetermined movies. As of Friday, Murphy has confirmed the second company has filed paperwork signed by representatives of Marvel Studios. Why Blade, you ask?

Well, the company — titled Grass-Fed Productions — hasn't been "attached" to any other projects announced by Marvel Studios, either film or for streaming. Furthermore, Blade is the only property officially announced by Marvel Studios that has yet to be linked to a production company. On the surface, it only makes sense, right? Admittedly, it's about the weakest evidence you can have to prove your case; tghat is, of course, if you can even call it evidence.

But why Grass-Fed for a production name? Murphy says because in "just about every modern vampire story, vamps look at humans as livestock or cattle. It's possible that Marvel Studios has capitalized on that notion here," suggesting Marvel Studios wanted to capitalize on the reference in a very tongue-in-cheek manner.

Then there's the possibility Grass-Fed Productions is for something else entirely, perhaps something that's been in development and was supposed to already be announced, though the announcement has likely been postponed due to coronavirus-adjacent shutdowns and delays.

If you're confused about the chatter of production companies, you're probably not the only one. While Marvel Studios does in fact own and operate all the films and shows it produces, the studio sets up a separate subsidiary for each project for liability and expense purposes — you know, Hollywood accounting. That, in a nutshell, is exactly why we're having the conversation we're currently having.

Due to the wonders of public records and the free nature of business documents, the in-depth research of legal entity databases has become a go-to method for scoopers hoping to break the story of Marvel's next project. Only now, Kevin Feige and his legal team have gotten crafty with the entity names so as not to introduce spoilers far in advance of an actual announcement.

Blade has yet to set a release date.

What other Marvel characters do you hope to see in the new Blade franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!