It sounds like the daywalker almost walked. Variety has shared a long breakdown of the many issues facing Marvel Studios today, including the fact that Mahershala Ali almost exited the script-troubled Blade film.
- Last year, director Bassam Tariq left Marvel’s Blade due to schedule changes and Variety reports the film has seen five writers and was shut down six weeks before production.
- They went on to report that the script for the film had eventually “morphed into a narrative led by women and filled with life lessons” and that Blade himself was “relegated to the fourth lead.”
- It was because of those script issues that Ali was reportedly ready to exit the project before Kevin Feige stepped in to take the film back to the drawing board.
- Feige then brought on Academy Award-nominated writer Michael Green (Logan) to start over on the script.
- There is also some reported speculation now that Marvel is looking to make the film on a budget of less than $100 million – a major change for the studio as Variety also reports Marvel was spending nearly $25 million on single episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Blade was originally announced back at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 and has been delayed several times from its original November 3, 2023 release date.
- Marvel’s Blade is currently set to hit theaters on February 14. 2025, but could still see additional delays.