Mahershala Ali's Blade Film Project Reportedly Shelved

The much-anticipated Blade movie, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has seemingly hit a dead end. After facing numerous challenges over the years, the project appears to have stalled indefinitely, leaving fans without the chance to see Mahershala Ali portray the iconic Daywalker. This development is considered one of the most significant setbacks in the MCU's history.

Rapper and artist Flying Lotus recently took to X / Twitter to share his involvement in the project, revealing that Blade is no longer moving forward. "I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru," he stated. Flying Lotus, who recently directed Shudder's new sci-fi horror ASH, expressed his doubts about the project's revival, saying, "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."

Just a day before Flying Lotus' tweet, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, during an appearance on The John Campea Show, confirmed her role in designing costumes for Blade before the project fell apart. She also revealed that the film was set to take place in the 1920s, promising unique and exciting costume and production designs.

Adding to the series of unfortunate updates, actor Delroy Lindo, who was set to star alongside Ali, shared his experience with the project in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he said. "And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails."

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with an initial release planned for November of the current year. However, the project has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, without any lasting progress.

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Despite the setbacks, it's been only six months since Blade was removed from Marvel's release schedule in October 2024, and no new release date has been confirmed. However, a month after the film was pulled, MCU boss Kevin Feige reiterated the studio's commitment to the project. "We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening," he told Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."