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Another huge Marvel movie delay is another stake in the heart of the MCU’s invincibility

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Another huge Marvel movie delay is another stake in the heart of the MCU's invincibility

As a seasoned gamer of over 30 years, I’ve seen my fair share of delays, cancellations, and unexpected twists in the gaming industry, so I can’t help but feel a tinge of deja vu when it comes to Marvel’s latest saga with Blade. It seems that this once-promising project has been plagued by one setback after another, leaving fans like myself scratching our heads and wondering if we’ll ever get the chance to see the Daywalker back in action.

Marvel just made yet another big change to its slate. Is dropping Blade a bad sign? 

2023 marked a significant hurdle for the previously unstoppable Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially, the film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” underperformed financially. Following this, Jonathan Majors, who was slated to take on the role of the franchise’s next major antagonist as Kang, encountered legal troubles with an assault charge and was subsequently dismissed from the project. Subsequently, the 2023 Hollywood strikes impeded production, and “The Marvels” failed to meet expectations.

Although Deadpool & Wolverine have been successful and Agatha All Along received critical acclaim and a large audience, most of the rest of the Marvel series has been postponed until 2025. This includes Blade, which was highly anticipated by fans.

In 1998, the film “Blade” marked the first significant success in the Marvel cinematic universe. This movie brought to life the iconic half-vampire character who combats other vampires, with Wesley Snipes portraying the lead role brilliantly. The film’s strong script, excellent direction, and Snipes’ captivating performance led to a box office success of $150 million, opening doors for productions like “X-Men” and “Spider-Man”. Furthermore, it gave rise to two sequels and a brief television series adaptation.

2019 found me buzzing as Marvel unveiled their vision for a fresh spin on a beloved character, set to make its debut in the MCU. The news dropped with two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali stepping into the role. But boy, did that announcement kick off quite a rollercoaster ride of delays!

The wild road of Blade

Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a complete stoppage of production in Hollywood, which included Marvel Studios. Despite this, they pushed through with Blade, featuring Ali in a voice cameo for the 2021 film Eternals. However, since then, things have been rather chaotic.

In February 2021, Bassam Tariq was set to direct a movie titled “Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s Film” which started production in September of the same year. The film was rumored to be set in the 1920s and possibly feature Mia Goth as the villain Lillith. However, Tariq departed the project a year later due to creative differences, with Yann Demange taking over as director. Later on, Michael Starrbury, Nick Pizzolatto, and Michael Green joined as writers, sparking speculation that the character of Blade would take a backseat in his own film, focusing more on a female lead instead.

After the 2023 Hollywood strikes caused chaos in movie production, numerous Marvel movies were delayed. Then, in June 2024, Demange decided to leave the project. Since then, Eric Pearson has been working on the script, and a new release date has been set for November 2025.

Well, unfortunately, it seems that the release of Blade in 2025 has been canceled altogether. Instead, Predators: Badlands is set to take its original release date of November 7th.

Why is Blade so hard to make?

It’s not surprising that another delay for “Blade” has been announced. With neither a completed script nor a director in place, it seems unrealistic to expect the movie to hit theaters within a year.

As a passionate fan, I’ve been pondering over the intriguing question: Why has this movie proven to be such a challenging production? You’d expect that a protagonist who’s both vampire hunter and half-vampire would be an enticing concept, especially given Marvel’s knack for bringing complex characters to life. However, it seems the script revisions and creative differences have made this project more difficult than initially anticipated.

It’s possible that one reason for the underperformance could be the overshadowing effect of the original Blade movies. This was further emphasized when Snipes appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, where he jokingly stated, “There’s only one Blade, there will only ever be one Blade.” Many fans might concur with Snipes’ sentiment that a Blade reboot would only be acceptable if he returns to the role.

Additionally, it highlights broader problems within the MCU, as there’s frequent discussion about the strife between studio executives and creators that has led to some tension. In essence, Blade is not an exception when it comes to productions impacted by disagreements among directors/writers and their superiors; however, such occurrences appear to be happening more frequently nowadays.

Despite Marvel’s ongoing commitment, with Ali still bound by contract for the part, it seems that a series of setbacks might be hinting at an unfavorable outcome for the release of Blade. This recent alteration could very well be the nail in the coffin for this project.

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2024-10-23 15:57

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