Marvel's Blade Production Reportedly Pushed Back Into 2022

Marvel fans may have thought the Marvel Cinematic Universe Blade reboot was coming soon - but now we know it will be much longer of a wait. In a feature article about DC's plans for a Black Superman movie, there was also a footnote about Marvel Studios' plans for Blade. As it states in the report: "Marvel isn't rushing with Blade, whose start date was pushed from this September to July 2022, so that the studio can spend time working on the Stacy Osei-Kuffour-penned script." Blade will star Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali in the titular role of the "Daywalker" vampire hunter, which was previously played by Wesley Snipes.

Marvel's entire movie slate has been through serious ups and downs since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Since the MCU is a house of cards, one project being moved inevitably forces all the subsequent projects to move too. Ironically, Blade seemed to be an outlier, as (so far) there are no clear connections between the character's story and the larger MCU. It seemed as though Marvel Studios could move forward with the project independent of trying to shuffle its other films and TV series - but few fans would probably complain about letting the film gestate a while longer, to really get it right. Wesley Snipes' run as Blade was nothing short of pivotal in ushering in the entire comic book movie blockbuster genre we know today.

The same THR article about Blade's production also mentions that Marvel Studios is looking for a black director to helm the film. Beyond that, we know that the MCU version will be titled Marvel's Blade, The Vampire Slayer; it will not likely be Rated R like the Snipes films, as Marvel's Kevin Feige has already confirmed that Deadpool 3 is Marvel Studios' only R-rated project in development. That said, Mahershala Ali has assured fans his Blade will bring plenty of darkness:

"I love that it's darker. That's all in terms of tone. He's a little bit darker than some of the other ones and so that element was attractive to me."

Rumors suggest that Marvel's Blade could actually see the debut of a Marvel character who never quite made it onto the comic book page. That would be Fallon Grey, a female vampire hunter who was supposed to debut in a book called Blade the Hunter. Fallon would learn that she was the daughter of Eric Brooks/Blade, and come into her own as a vampire hunter. That comic fell apart in development, but the MCU may resurrect the concept.

Marvel's Blade will start production in July 2022. No release date has been announced.