Marvel Studios Removes Blade Movie From Release Calendar

In Marvel’s crossover comic, Deadpool & Wolverine, Wesley Snipes’ legendary Daywalker character delivered a memorable line: “There’s been only one Blade! There’s only ever gonna be one Blade!” This statement left viewers torn between amusement and discomfort. Despite Marvel Studios’ efforts to kickstart a Blade movie after revealing Mahershala Ali as the vampire hunter for the MCU in 2019, setbacks have plagued the project. With the recent exits of directors Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange, Snipes’ remark seems ominously close to foretelling the demise of Blade’s cinematic resurrection.

According to Deadline, the highly anticipated release of Marvel’s Blade on November 7, 2025, has been relinquished to Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands. Although there hasn’t been any official statement regarding the cancellation of Blade, which was poised to feature Ali alongside scream queen Mia Goth, Marvel Studios’ scheduling of three unnamed MCU movies for February 18, 2028, May 5, 2028, and November 10, 2028 indicates a delay in the bloodsucker project’s revival.

Facing the challenges posed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Kevin Feige and his team’s Blade movie have encountered obstacles since the character’s introduction in the MCU was hinted at in Eternals in 2021. With the departure of its directors, a lineup of writers, and a shift in release date, the project seems to be in need of a fresh start after the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. Despite these setbacks, actors Ali and Goth remain potentially tied to the film, and Feige’s focus on perfecting Blade in the MCU rather than rushing its release offers a glimmer of hope for its future, hinting that the project may not be completely shelved just yet, although it will require significant effort to come to fruition.