The Mahershala Ali Blade movie remains in development limbo, as delays continue and the cast, including Mia Goth, expresses hope for its eventual completion. Announced during San Diego Comic Con in 2019, this highly anticipated MCU project about the vampire hunter has been missing from Marvel’s updated release calendar, raising questions about its future.
Cast Members Express Uncertainty and Optimism
Mia Goth, who joined the project in April 2023, offered insight into the film’s status during an interview with Josh Horowitz on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. Reflecting uncertainty but maintaining faith in the project, she noted that Marvel appears deeply invested in getting the movie right. Goth commented,
“I don’t know what’s going on with that. I think that they want to make it, and it’s such an important film for them that they’re taking their time with it. I really don’t have any information. I don’t know why it’s taken the time that it has. We will see. Yeah, we will see.”
— Mia Goth, Actor
Goth further recalled her hands-on involvement before production halted. She recounted traveling to Atlanta, completing a chemistry test with Mahershala Ali, and participating in costume and wig fittings. She described an exciting creative direction before matters unraveled. As she put it,
“The furthest that it got with me is that I went – I auditioned for that too actually – and I flew to Atlanta and we did a chemistry test between Marhershala and I. We did a costume fitting and a wig fitting, and I was very excited in the direction that it was going. It was very cool. And Marhershala had such an interesting take on it. He was great. And then it just unraveled from there, unfortunately.”
— Mia Goth, Actor
Development Updates: Creative Teams and Direction Changes
Throughout its development, the Mahershala Ali Blade movie has seen a number of creative teams and directors. Screenwriters such as Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury, Nic Pizzolatto, Eric Pearson, and Michael Green have each contributed drafts to the script. Directors Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange were at different times attached to steer the film but both eventually exited the project, leaving the director’s chair currently vacant and the film’s future uncertain.
This round of setbacks and departures has contributed significantly to the film’s ongoing delays and Marvel’s ongoing deliberation about how to handle the project. Despite these issues, the optimism expressed by members of the cast like Mia Goth suggests that the company is prioritizing care and precision over rushing Blade to screens.
Prospects for R-Rated Storytelling and Box Office Potential
In keeping with the tone of the original Wesley Snipes-starring trilogy, the new Blade film aims for an R-rating, a rarity among mostly PG-13 Marvel Cinematic Universe titles. This approach seems buoyed by the commercial success of recent adult-oriented superhero movies. Deadpool & Wolverine, for example, grossed $1.338 billion globally, affirming strong audience appetite for mature superhero content. Wesley Snipes’s return as a vampire hunter in that film reinforced the genre’s continuing appeal.
Possible Release Timeline and Place in the MCU
The continued development delays make it unlikely that the Mahershala Ali Blade movie will premiere before 2028, and even that depends on future progress with the script and scheduling of filming. Any potential Blade release would come after the scheduled premieres of Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027.
The MCU’s wider narrative is also in flux. Secret Wars is expected to serve as a pivotal reset for the franchise, concluding the current Multiverse Saga. It remains unclear how Blade, a story centered on a vampire hunter, would fit into whatever direction the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes afterward.
Ongoing Uncertainty but Persistent Hope for Blade
Although substantial challenges and changes have dogged its journey, the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is still a project that Marvel is not willing to abandon hastily, according to Goth’s comments. There are no guarantees and the process is far from over, but the cast’s eagerness and Marvel’s apparent caution together hint that Blade could yet cut a new path into the MCU if the remaining hurdles are cleared. For now, both fans and cast alike remain in wait-and-see mode, hoping for a return to form for Marvel’s legendary vampire hunter.
