Mahershala Ali gives promising update on Marvel's Blade movie after delays and behind-the-scenes reshuffles
"I'm really encouraged with the direction of the project"
Blade star Mahershala Ali has provided a promising update on his upcoming vampire hunter movie – and suggested that production is due to kick back off pretty soon.
"We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you," Ali told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview. "I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon."
First announced in 2019, the R-rated reboot of the 1998 movie has had somewhat of a rocky journey so far. It's been hit with a series of delays, and a report from last year suggested that Ali was unhappy with the state of the movie. There have been a few changes behind the scenes, too: Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq was initially on board to helm the reboot, with Watchmen's Stacy Osei-Kuffour penning the script, but Tariq left the project in 2022 due to creative differences and Osei-Kuffour was replaced by Michael Starrbury.
True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto came on board as a co-writer this past April, before Blue Eye Samurai creator Michael Green was hired to rewrite the script last month. Yann Damange, who previously helmed episodes of Top Boy and Lovecraft Country, is currently on board as director.
Next up for Ali is Leave the World Behind, which arrives on Netflix on December 8. He stars alongside Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke in the apocalyptic thriller, directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail.
As for Blade, that's currently set to be released on November 7, 2025, as part of Marvel Phase 6. While we wait, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guide to all the other upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the way.
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I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.