Why Marvel’s ‘Blade’ is Being Delayed, According to Kevin Feige

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has shed light on the delays surrounding the highly anticipated reboot of Blade. Here’s what you need to know.

Marvel first announced the Blade reboot featuring Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali during San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. However, the film has encountered multiple challenges, including frequent changes in writers and directors, leading to a lengthy production timeline and the eventual removal of the project from Marvel’s release schedule.

Despite Mahershala Ali expressing optimism about the film’s direction after a recent creative revision, Blade was taken off the planned November 2025 release slate last year, and no new updates have emerged since.

In a recent address to journalists, Feige confirmed that Ali is still attached to the project. He humorously noted that costumes originally intended for Blade were borrowed by Ryan Coogler for his vampire film Sinners, saying, “We said, ‘Take ‘em man, no problem’ — he’s a good friend.”

On a more serious note, Feige explained that the delays stem from Marvel grappling with “over-expansion” due to Disney’s strategy to produce more content. “For the first time ever, quantity trumped quality,” he remarked, emphasizing that they didn’t want to rush the film and compromise its uniqueness. “It fell into a period where we decided to only accept ‘insanely great’ projects,” he continued. “We didn’t feel confident we could elevate a good script to greatness for Blade, and we didn’t want to do that to Mahershala or ourselves.”

Since its announcement, two directors have come and gone from the project. Additionally, Flying Lotus, who was set to score the film, revealed that the project was indefinitely delayed.

Marvel’s next film release will be The Fantastic Four: First Steps, scheduled for July 24.