Marvel Studios' Blade: Release date, cast and latest news
The superhero vampire hunter is heading to the MCU.
When Wesley Snipes joked in Deadpool & Wolverine that there's "only ever gonna be one Blade", few fans suspected it was a serious point – but the more time goes on, the more possible it becomes that Snipes's version of the character could end up being correct in his assertion.
The upcoming MCU film about the character has suffered from a number of high-profile pre-production woes ever since double-Oscar winner Mahershala Ali was first announced to be playing the titular superhero back in 2019 – and those issues currently show no sign of stopping.
Both Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange boarded and subsequently exited the project as director, the script has reportedly undergone numerous rewrites and a number of supporting actors have pulled out after they were cast, including both Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo.
Even Ali's own lawyer described all the goings-on as "the craziest thing in my professional experience".
Well, now another bombshell has been dropped. The film – which had been scheduled for release in November 2025 – has now been indefinitely pulled from the release calendar.
So what gives? When might fans finally be able to see Blade? Read on for everything we know so far.
Marvel Studios' Blade release date speculation
If the original plan had been stuck to, the film would already have come and gone. It was initially slated to arrive in cinemas on 3rd November 2023, before that was then moved to 6th September 2024 and then again to 7th November 2025.
Now, there's no release date currently slated at all and it's not clear when it will finally be released.
Despite a few false starts – including Kevin Feige telling Entertainment Weekly in February 2023 that "cameras roll in, like, the next 10 weeks or so" – there is also still no sign when production will even begin on the film, which still doesn't even have a director attached.
The earliest we can therefore expect to see the film is at some point in early 2026, although even that seems unreasonably optimistic at this juncture.
It may even be 2027 before we've had the chance to see Blade – but whatever happens we'll be keeping a close eye out for any updates.
The film was first officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 by Kevin Feige and he was joined on stage by star Mahershala Ali.
Who’s in the cast of Blade?
The following cast members have been confirmed for Marvel Studios' Blade.
- Mahershala Ali as Blade/Eric Cross Brooks
- Mia Goth as Lilith
As noted, double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has been cast in the central role of Blade, the half-vampire daywalker who hunts down creatures of the night in the Marvel universe.
Ali previously appeared in Netflix’s tie-in Marvel series Luke Cage as villain Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes and in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so he definitely has some superhero pedigree, and apparently, he was pivotal in getting the Blade reboot made in the first place.
According to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, immediately after bagging his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Green Book, Ali called him to set up a meeting, and then pitched the concept of a Blade movie starring himself.
"When Mahershala calls, you answer," Feige told the Hollywood Reporter.
Mia Goth has also been confirmed to star in the film as Lilith, a comic book supervillain, but beyond that it is currently anyone's guess as to who will star.
Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) had previously been attached in mystery roles but both have subsequently exited the project, and there is no word yet on who might replace them.
We'll keep you updated when we hear more.
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Is there a trailer for the new Blade film?
As the new Blade film has yet to officially begin filming, there is no sign of a trailer for the new film.
We will update this article and share the footage as soon as it becomes available.
Wasn’t there a Blade movie before?
Yes there was – three in fact, all of which starred Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire-hunter from 1998 to 2004, and which are sometimes credited with kicking off the modern age of superhero cinema in which we’re now living.
The first Blade and Blade II were particularly critically acclaimed and also starred Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, Donnie Yen, Danny John-Jules and Donal Logue among others, though third movie Blade: Trinity (which added Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel to the action) was less popular and ended the franchise (apart from an attempted TV reboot with a new cast in 2006).
And despite some consternation from his fans (who would have liked to see him return) Snipes previously gave Ali his blessing in taking over the role.
“To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx,” said Snipes in a statement to TheWrap.
“Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew — always a fan. Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan.
“Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together.”
Little is known about the plot of the reboot, but Blade’s backstory – a half-vampire called Eric Brooks determined to exterminate all bloodsuckers using his skills and supernatural abilities – is sure to make for a very different entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it eventually does arrive.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
