Original Blade screenwriter thinks it's "confusing" that Marvel's reboot is stuck in development hell: "Blade is a relatively simple story"

David S. Goyer, who wrote the original 1998 Blade movie, can't understand what's taking the MCU reboot so long to get to the big screen.

The MCU's take on the vampire hunter was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, along with Mahershala Ali's casting in the titular role. In the six years since, the movie has been through multiple directors and removed from Marvel's release calendar.

"In my mind, I think Blade is a relatively simple story," Goyer told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "It's not complicated, and I always think about when you embark on a movie like this, you have to distill down, what is the promise of the movie? So the promise of Blade, a new Blade, is that it should have insane ass-kicking. it should be pretty scary, might be R-rated, and it should not be complicated. So I don't know why it's been so hard."

Goyer is no stranger to comic book remakes, having worked on both Batman Begins and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he has mixed feelings about social media's calls for him to work on the MCU's Blade.

"Part of me thinks it would be fun, but part of me thinks I did, so far, the definitive Blade, and [it would be] a mistake," he said. "I remember Chris [Nolan] advising me not to work on the Affleck Batman just because it's confusing, you know? We did one, let's stick with that."

Although Blade seems no closer to returning to our screens (aside from Wesley Snipes' cameo in last year's Deadpool and Wolverine), Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige still seems confident that Disney isn't ice skating uphill.

"We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening," he said last year. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."

Next up on the big screen for the MCU is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which arrives in theaters on July 25 as part of Marvel Phase 6.

In the meantime, get up to speed with our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, or look ahead to the other upcoming superhero movies on the way.