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Why The MCU's Blade Movie is Taking So Long
The upcoming Blade movie, starring Mahershala Ali, still hasn't begun filming, despite it being almost three years since the project was announced by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Since then, all other MCU projects announced at that time have been released, including Black Widow, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder. Given this, it seems strange that Blade has seemingly been left behind.
Blade, aka Eric Brooks, is a Marvel Comics character who makes it his mission to rid the world of all vampires. Also known as the Daywalker, Blade was originally depicted as a human immune to vampire bites but has since been retroactively established as a dhampir (a cross between a human and a vampire) in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Blade's debut starring Wesley Snipes is thought to be the movie that first realized the potential success in comic book adaptations, with 1998's Blade considered a cult classic after a very favorable fan reception. With all this in mind, the decision to bring the Daywalker into the MCU has been met with much excitement, especially given Mahershala Ali's impressive acting pedigree.
In truth, there is no clear answer as to why Blade is taking so long to make. Reports (via CBR) suggest that the filming schedule for Blade has been pushed back from July to October 2022, causing some concern that the project could be floundering. Although these delays are worrying, there is little doubt the Daywalker will be appearing in the MCU, not only because of the character's popularity but also because he has already appeared, albeit briefly, in Eternals. In an end-credits scene, Blade takes a cameo role as his voice is heard saying to Kit Harington's Dane Whitman: "Are you sure you're ready for that, Mr. Whitman?"
Multiple Factors Are Playing Into The Blade MCU Movie
The scene between Harington and Ali sets up the potential for Blade to team up with Black Knight, the holder of the legendary Ebony Blade. Although Harington's involvement in any standalone Blade project has not been officially announced, it would certainly seem that he will have some further involvement with the legendary Daywalker. Perhaps the studio is attempting to align the schedules for actors such as Harington before they can move forward.
The film has many names already attached to it. Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre are signed onto the project, alongside director Bassam Tariq and screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour. In fact, according to a report (via The Hollywood Reporter), the movie's production was originally delayed from September 2021 to July 2022 so that Osei-Kuffour could spend more time with the script. There may still be rewrites going on. The Daywalker's original blood-soaked comic books do not easily fit into a more familiar PG-13 rating for the MCU, which may be causing issues. Creating the perfect fit for the Daywalker's official MCU debut undoubtedly needs time and multiple drafts.
Although the announcement of Blade was met with much anticipation and excitement back in July 2019, the current waiting period has proven to be a frustratingly long time. There is still hope that more news on the project will soon come to light, with some speculating that Marvel will release new info at this year's San Diego Comic-Con panel. Whatever theories there are about what is behind the delays, the fact of the matter is that there is no definitive answer as to why Mahershala Ali's Daywalker still hasn't been seen in front of the cameras.
