Marvel Studios is well-known as a well-oiled machine, with its production pipeline churning out a steady stream of blockbuster movies and Disney Plus shows. However, Blade seems to be putting a spanner in the works.
Back in 2011, Marvel Studios acquired the rights to the character, but it wasn't until 2019 that the Marvel Cinematic Universe unveiled its take on the character, which was confirmed as Mahershala Ali as the daywalker. Blade has gone through a development rut, with its original director Bassam Tariq being pushed back, and total script revisions. The MCU's fifth phase will now finish in late 2024.
Now we may be in for yet more trouble. Scooper Caleb Williams (as reposted on the r/MarvelStudiosSpoiler subreddit) claims that The Wonder Years' Milan Ray, who had been cast as Zora, is no longer in the movie, and recasting is underway:
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are anticipating even more havoc in the future, and are wondering if Ali will continue to play the character for very long.
The tendency to reintroduce Wesley Snipes is becoming more persistent:
Blade, how is thou everlasting?
Is a cancellation looming?
Once we know that the shoot has begun and we see some photos of Ali in costume as Blade, we'll only begin to get hyped once we've learned that the film is over and that it will be presented to the cameras in mid-2023.
Blade will (theoretically) be released on September 6, 2024.