EntertainmentMoviesSuperhero MoviesMCUBringing Blade into the MCU is proving hard for Marvel, but the signs were there all alongWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesSuperhero MoviesMCUBringing Blade into the MCU is proving hard for Marvel, but the signs were there all alongWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Warner Home Video)
Fast forward some 26 years later, Marvel is now planning a redo in order to introduce Blade as a new hero in the MCU. In some ways, this felt inevitable – though the studio has definitely been taking its sweet time reintroducing staples like the X-Men and TheFantastic Fourinto the MCU.
However, bloody, ultra-violent action-horror isn’t really what the MCU, especially under the banner ofDisney, is about. Since the new version’s announcement, there have beenmultiple shake-ups in directors, they’ve been hit withproduction delays(that are unrelated to the strikes), the script is constantly being rewritten, and not to mention themultiple reports about Mahershala Ali being unhappy. Honestly, it’s not looking good, and that’s coming from a super fan of the original.
A cursed timeline
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Keep in mind thatBlade was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with Mahershala Ali joining Marvel on stage to announce that he would be donning the trench coat and fangs in a new adaptation.In 2022, the movie entered production, with filming slated to begin in October and Bassam Tariq set to direct. That July, Kevin Feige announced at San Diego Comic-Con thatBlade would be released in November 2023 as part of Marvel’s Phase 5.
Fast forward to June 2024: the film has lost two directors, is on its seventh or eighth writer, and might be eyeing a 2026 release date. Oh, and, filming still hasn’t begun. Rather than be stuck in traditional development hell, the project seems to be stuck in some kind of perpetual pre-production purgatory where no writer or filmmaker can see eye-to-eye on what a modern-day Blade movie should be.
Here’s why it’s not working out
(Image credit: New Line Cinema)
It’s not particularly difficult to connect the dots on why this could be having trouble, and why I’m terrified for the end result: it’s ostensibly a superhero-horror film following a movie and comic book series that are both frequently deeply dark and bone-crunching-ly violent that has to somehow work under Marvel’s definition of an R rating.
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I’m not suggesting that the new film be a shot-for-shot remake of the first, nor would I expect it to be, but I am saying that the jarring, grotesque nature of Blade is part of what makes it really, really cool. Blade’s comic book character origins begin in 1929 London, with his original weapons of choice being daggers made of teakwood with a color palette similar to a Teenage Mutant. The 1998 film reimagines Blade as a Detroit native who ends up in a vampire-populated Los Angeles and has a gun packed with hollow silver bullets that are filled with garlic. This worked well with the sleek, dark superhero style of the ‘90s a laThe Crow,or even Tim Burton’s Batman; it was a modern update that fit the genre at the time.
Full speed ahead
(Image credit: New Line Cinema)
For me, this is clearly the big problem that Marvel is having adapting it right now. What is Blade supposed to look like in 2024, as a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? WhenSonymadeMorbius, they attempted a darker, ’90s-esque tone, but it felt forced. The only modern-day superhero film that fits that dark ’90s superhero vibe isThe Batman, and if it were up to me I would make the entire team behind the MCU Blade reboot sit down in front of a big projector screen and take notes. The problem is there really aren’t any Marvel movies like this – there aren’t even any DC movies like this. Matthew Reeves’s Batman film is the only one of its kind.
Now, I can’t imagine that Marvel would cancel a movie that’s technically already in production (though scrapped sequels are definitely a thing), so if we’re moving full speed ahead with an MCU version of Blade, I just hope in my heart of hearts that they land on the right director-writer team.
Indeed, there is a way to get the Blade movie right – it just might take a bit of a risk to get there. And look, while it may seem like a bad thing that we’ve lost several directors along the way, I for one am glad that the MCU is taking its time to get this one right. After all, Blade has always been a shadowy figure for Marvel, it’s only right that it takes some time to nail him down.
For more, check out our list of the most excitingupcoming moviesin 2024 and beyond, or, check out our guide to all theupcoming Marvel movies and showsyou need to know about.
CATEGORIESMarvel MoviesAction Movies
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”