Blade (film)
| Blade | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Freddie Goodwin |
| Written by | Nathaniel J. Marlowe |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Owen Sterling |
| Edited by | Owen Sterling |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date | May 12, 2027 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $125 million |
Blade is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Mob Productions, Ryan Reynolds, and Mahershala Ali, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be part of the Mob Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film will be directed by Freddie Goodwin and written by Nathaniel J. Marlowe.
Development on a film based on the character Blade, began in 2019 after Mob Productions looked at improving the scope of the MCU. They began working with many actors to begin writing a script for the film and ended up working with Mahershala Ali, who worked on Marvel's film. Ali also serves as a producer for the film. Ryan Reynolds also produces the film because Deadpool will appear in the film.
Blade is scheduled to be released in the United States, as the third film of Phase Two of the MCU.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Mahershala Ali as Blade: A half-vampire "daywalker" who hunts vampires.
- Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool
Production[edit | edit source]
Background[edit | edit source]
A film focused on the Marvel Comics character Blade started being developed by Mob Productions in 2024 and focused on making a better story. Freddie Goodwin worked with Mahershala Ali to make the film and gave it a budget of $125 million.
Development[edit | edit source]
At the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011, Marvel Entertainment's chief creative officer (CCO) Joe Quesada confirmed that Marvel Studios had re-acquired the film rights to the character Blade from New Line Cinema, which previously produced a successful film franchise starring Wesley Snipes as the character. Marvel had a working script for a new Blade film from its in-house writing program by May 2013. In July 2015, Snipes said he hoped to reprise the role in any future film and had discussed this with Marvel. After hearing of a potential Blade remake, actor Mahershala Ali had discussions about it with Marvel starting at the end of September 2016, on the same day the first season of Marvel Television's Netflix series Luke Cage released; Ali had previously portrayed Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in that series. Marvel's television division wanted to develop Blade as a new series, and Ali was drawn to the role as a fan of Snipes' darker portrayal. He felt that tone would work for a new film after superhero films made since Snipes' films had become lighter in tone. The next month, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that there had been discussions regarding featuring the character in a Netflix series, but said there were no immediate plans to do so. In June 2017, Feige reiterated that the character would join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) at some point, calling him a "legacy character" and noting how the New Line films had proven that lesser-known comic book characters could feature in successful films. In August 2018, Snipes said he had continued to discuss the character with Marvel for over two years and there were two potential projects in development for the character.
Shortly after Ali won Best Supporting Actor at the 91st Academy Awards in February 2019 for his role in Green Book (2018), the actor contacted Marvel Studios and pitched the idea of a new Blade film that he would star in. Feige announced such a film, with Ali attached to star, at Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel that July. Feige said the project was moving forward because of Ali's interest and it would be part of a future "phase" of the MCU rather than the just announced Phase Four. Snipes was surprised by the announcement but said, "Such is the 'business' of 'entertainment!'" He congratulated Ali on the casting and said he would always be a fan of Marvel Studios and the MCU. Active development on the film did not begin until mid-2020, and the studio began searching for a writer-director to lead the project in late 2020. Marvel Studios executive Eric Carroll was producing the film alongside Feige. At the end of September, Ali confirmed that the film would have a darker tone than previous MCU films. By October, Marvel Studios were looking to hire a separate writer and director, and began looking for a writer first. The studio hoped to assemble a primarily Black cast and crew to work on the film.
Feige said in December 2020 that updates on the film would be given soon. Stacy Osei-Kuffour was hired to write the screenplay in February 2021 after a six-month "meticulous search" that Ali was directly involved in. Only Black writers were seriously considered for the film, which Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter felt was a reflection of Marvel Studios' commitment to diversity (especially for projects featuring non-white characters). Later that month, Feige was asked if any future Marvel Studios films would be R-rated, with many fans hoping that Blade would receive that rating. Feige said only Deadpool 3 (2024) would be R-rated due to the previous films in that franchise having already established that rating and tone. He said the studio otherwise hoped to create content that worked for both children and adults, and the PG-13 rating and tone they had been using had not prevented them from telling the kinds of stories they wanted to tell. Filming was set to begin in September 2021, but by May 2021 it was pushed back to a July 2022 start to allow Marvel Studios to continue working on the script.
From March to June 2021, Marvel Studios met with a shortlist of possible directors, focusing their search on Black filmmakers such as Steven Caple Jr., J. D. Dillard, Regina King, and Shaka King. Albert Hughes was in talks with Marvel Studios about directing the film, but left after disagreeing with the studio's approach. Several directors were chosen to give final presentations during this time, and Bassam Tariq "won all parties over" with his vision for the film. Tariq was in final talks to direct the film by the end of July, and had been hired by the start of September. Tariq said the film would not be "boxed in" by adapting comic book elements since the character has an evolving canon. Ali makes an uncredited voice cameo as Blade in the post-credits scene of the Phase Four film Eternals, released in November 2021, in which he contacts Dane Whitman (portrayed by Kit Harington) regarding the Ebony Blade.
Casting[edit | edit source]
Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool. Reprising their roles from the first film is Morena Baccarin, Stefan Kapičić, Rob Delaney, Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Brolin, and Zazie Beetz. It was also confirmed that Dev Patel would reprise his role as Alex Singh in the film.