Star Wars’ Latest Announcement May Spell Doom For a Major MCU Film

Star Wars has made its newest casting, and it may indicate major trouble for an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. It was recently confirmed that Mia Goth will portray the villain of Star Wars: Starfighter. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, the film is set in the years following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and functions as a standalone story in the Star Wars universe. Currently in the pre-production stage, Star Wars: Starfighter will start filming this fall and is scheduled to release in theaters in May 2027. Interestingly, Goth is still attached to the MCU’s Blade reboot movie, which fans hope will begin production soon. Back in April 2023, Goth was cast as the villain Lilith in Blade alongside star Mahershala Ali. Blade has faced numerous delays since its announcement in 2019 and currently has no release date or production timeline.

The news of Goth’s casting in Star Wars: Starfighter has fans wondering whether Blade is still on the table for the MCU and if the actress will still be involved. In June 2024, Goth seemingly confirmed her status as part of the movie, however, nothing has been reported since. Still without a director after Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange were each slated to helm the film at different points, Blade does not look promising. While Star Wars gets the ball rolling on its upcoming films, the MCU continues to stall one of its most anticipated titles. Goth’s involvement in Star Wars: Starfighter is merely the latest piece of bad news in a series of unfortunate developments for Blade.

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Mia Goth’s Casting in Star Wars: Starfighter Doesn’t Bode Well for the MCU’s Blade Movie

Goth’s role in Star Wars: Starfighter could spell trouble for Blade. At best, the movie is a long way from materializing, and at worst, it has been scrapped entirely. In the case of the former, Goth could still feature in Blade if Star: Wars Starfighter sticks to its planned filming schedule, as production on the MCU movie likely wouldn’t begin before 2026. Even so, Goth may not even get the opportunity to appear in Blade given the film’s recent trend of postponements.

Blade has endured its fair share of setbacks over the last six years. Initially reported to commence filming in 2022 for a November 2023 release date, the movie saw its production schedule altered more than three times before being removed from Disney’s calendar in October 2024. As Blade seeks a director after Demange exited in June 2024, Ali and Goth remain the only actors confirmed as part of the cast. Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo, who were previously attached to Blade, have abandoned the project. Judging by recent words from Lindo, the MCU’s Blade movie has been a disaster.

“[Blade] was really exciting conceptually,” Lindo told Entertainment Weekly in April. “And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails.”

Although Blade appeared dead in the water even before Goth joined Star Wars: Starfighter, the casting announcement likely hints that the MCU’s revival of the famous vampire hunter has gained little to no ground as of late. If Blade was close to hiring a director to work alongside writers Michael Green and Eric Pearson, it’s unlikely that its stars would sign onto other big projects scheduled to film within the next year. Soon after Pierre departed Blade, he joined the cast of the DC Universe’s upcoming Lanterns series. Similarly, Lindo is slated to appear in 2027’s Godzilla x Kong: Supernova. The writing is on the wall, and it looks like Goth might be next to leave Blade. With so many actor exits, one has to think that the future of Blade is in serious doubt.

Will the MCU’s Blade Film Ever Happen?

At this point, the MCU’s Blade movie is on hold indefinitely, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. The latest rumors speculate that Blade, as we know it, has been permanently shelved, however the MCU still plans to introduce Ali as the character at some point. In November, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige affirmed that Blade will make it to the MCU, though did not specify when or in which project.

“We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love the version that Mahershala has of him … I can say that the character will reach the MCU,” Feige told Omelete.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to feel optimistic when no concrete updates on Blade‘s development have been made public for quite some time. Regardless of when or if the movie happens, recasts can be made. Furthermore, Blade could be pushed beyond MCU Phase 7 or the character could appear sooner in a different film or TV show. Fans are justifiably frustrated about the MCU’s struggle to put together its Blade reboot. The constant delays and creative shifts don’t bode well for the movie’s chances of arriving in theaters anytime soon. Right now, it seems more than likely that Marvel Studios will abandon its planned Blade movie in favor of a different project down the road. However, since nothing has been made official, fans can still hope for a positive piece of news.

Star Wars: Starfighter is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 28, 2027.