Despite the delays, Marvel Studios’ Blade movie doesn’t seem to be leaving the MCU slate anytime soon. The character of Blade was originally made popular by the Wesley Snipes trilogy in the late 90s and early 2000s. The idea of a Blade reboot was then thrown around for years, but it was finally made a reality when Marvel regained the rights to the property from New Line Cinema in 2012. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed at San Diego Comic Con 2019 that the iconic vampire hunter was coming to the MCU, with actor Marhershala Ali set to play the titular role.

Since then, the MCU’s Blade film has seen nothing but delays and production issues. Originally slated to release in theaters later this year, the film has been pushed back numerous times. Blade was first pushed to September 6, 2024 from its November 3, 2023 release date. Most recently, it was delayed one more time to February 14, 2025, which is a full year and a half later than its intended release date. With all of the uncertainties going on with the film and some even doubting that Blade will ever be released, it’s hard to keep track of any production updates. However, the film is still very much going on.

Related: 3 Reasons Blade Is More Important To MCU Phase 5 Than You Realize

Mahershala Ali Is Still Set To Star In Marvel's Blade Movie

When two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali was announced to be playing the MCU’s Blade, it drummed up much excitement for the reboot. Kevin Feige said that Ali had called him after the actor’s second Oscar win asking to play the vampire hunter, to which Feige replied “When Mahershala calls, you answer” (via The Hollywood Reporter). Ali was the only confirmed cast member for a while, but notable names like Mia Goth and Delroy Lindo have since joined the cast. With exciting names already attached to Blade's MCU reboot cast, it's set high expectations, despite the lack of concrete updates.

Related: 6 Marvel Characters Mia Goth Could Play In MCU's Blade

Though whispers emerged online of Mahershala Ali dropping out of the film due to alleged frustration with production, it is likely untrue. It’s hard to judge what is going on behind the scenes, but no cast changes should be taken seriously unless it comes from Marvel themselves. At Comic Con in 2019, Kevin Feige himself was extremely pleased that the MCU had recruited such a decorated actor, so Feige would likely do everything he could to keep Ali on the project.

Marvel's Blade Movie Production Is Currently Paused

Blade’s recent big release date push to 2025 is likely due to the ongoing strikes in Hollywood. Production on most Hollywood projects are currently completely paused, meaning that no progress will be made on Blade or any other MCU projects until the strikes are over. Blade has already had so many production hiccups and delays that a complete pause on work is definitely not the ideal situation for the film or Marvel Studios. However, the Hollywood strikes are integral for the bigger picture of the industry.

As of August 5, both the Writers and Actors Guild strikes will continue indefinitely as strike negotiations have so far failed between the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild and the studios. The WGA strike came first with writers fighting against the effects of streaming services and artificial intelligence in the industry. Two months later, SAG-AFTRA went on their own strike to advocate for higher pay and tighter AI regulations in projects. The strikes are still going strong and especially with the failed negotiations, most Hollywood projects like Blade will be on pause for a little while longer.

MCU Blade Movie Behind-The-Scenes Troubles & Release Date Delays Explained

In September 2021, Marvel Studios announced Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq as the head of the film, but just one year later, it was confirmed that Tariq had left as director of the project due to the delays in the production schedule. With Tariq still credited as an executive producer, Marvel has since brought on Lovecraft Country director Yann Demange to take over. The change in directors has undoubtedly played a huge role in Blade’s production delays considering that the film was originally slated for a 2023 release, and it doesn’t stop there.

With the director change came other changes in the crew, specifically the writing team. Watchmen writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour originally joined alongside Tariq to write the script, but was later replaced with Moon Knight writer Beau DeMayo. However, DeMayo would then be replaced himself by When They See Us writer Michael Starrbury. In what is hopefully the last change to the writing team, True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto will work on the script alongside Starrbury. The script is the fundamental part of any project, so these writers' room shifts are a clear part of Blade’s now two release date delays.

Marvel's Blade Movie Was Set Up In Eternals But Won't Include Dane Whitman

In the Eternals post-credit scene, Dane Whitman shares a brief exchange with an off-screen voice who was confirmed to be Mahershala Ali’s Eric Brooks. Many thought this was setting up Kit Harington’s character as the MCU’s Black Knight, as well as his involvement in Blade. However, Harington claims Dane was never meant to be in Blade. Dane’s post-credit scene seems to have just been a way to introduce Ali’s Blade to the MCU, setting up Blade’s future with or without the Black Knight.

Blade has been a highly anticipated project on the MCU’s slate for years, but the film’s production has unfortunately been hit with a slew of behind-the-scenes issues. The film already had its fair share of crew changes from its director to its writing team. Now with the WGA and SAG strikes pausing progress on the film indefinitely, it’s no wonder that the project has already seen two release date delays. Despite the chaos, Blade is still very much likely to release with star Mahershala Ali still leading the cast.