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Everything we know about the MCU Blade movie

The Daywalker is finally getting the MCU treatment

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 20:  Mahershala Ali and Kevin Feige attend Marvel Studios Panel during 2019 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Mahershala Ali and Kevin Feige attend Marvel Studios Panel during 2019 Comic-Con International. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get some bite as it prepares to reboot Blade.

For a while now fans have waited to see the Marvel Studios version of their favourite day walking half-man, half-vampire, all leather clad badass back on screens and it’s coming. Kevin Feige has promised a full throttle Blade movie.

Here’s everything we know about the return of the day walker.

When will Blade be released?

Blade sits in as the final film of Phase 5 in the Multiverse saga, and is due to be released on Friday, 7 November 2025.

Read more: Every upcoming MCU movie

A few production set backs — including a change in director — pushed it from its original release date of 3 November 2023.

Who is in the Blade cast?

BLADE: TRINITY, WESLEY SNIPES, 2004
Wesley Snipes in 2004's Blade: Trinity. (Alamy)

At San Diego Comic Con in 2019, Mahershala Ali was announced to be taking over the iconic fangs from Wesley Snipes who played him in a trilogy of films starting in the 90s and ending with dud third instalment Blade Trinity.

Ali has previous with the MCU having played Cottonmouth Stokes in the first season of Luke Cage, but many people have taken on multiple roles in the MCU. To cement his role he provided a brief voice cameo to the end of Eternals, signalling a more supernatural bent to the universe.

Talking about landing the role, Ali said that he specifically asked to be considered to play the day walker.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 20: Mahershala Ali (C) of Marvel Studios' 'Blade' at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Mahershala Ali (C) of Marvel Studios' 'Blade' at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

In 2020, he said he “kept hearing they were trying to find a way to remake” Blade.

“Since they were having conversations about bringing it back into being, I just wanted to be considered for it because I had definitely a connection, at least in my mind, to Wesley Snipes going back to high school,” he said.

“People use to joke and say that we looked alike and all this stuff. I just brought it up as someone who really wanted to take on that [Blade] role and tackle that. He's a little bit darker than some of the other ones and so that element was attractive to me.”

So far very little of the cast has been announced. Alongside Ali, we know that screen legend Delroy Lindo will also appear in the movie in an as-yet-undisclosed role.

Delroy Lindo relaxes between takes on the set of Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. (Netflix)
Delroy Lindo relaxes between takes on the set of Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. (Netflix)

Old’s Aaron Pierre was also set to appear but exited the project in early 2024. “Early on, there were conversations. As the project evolved, I’m no longer part of that – attached,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

Pearl star Mia Goth has also been confirmed to star but it’s unclear who or what she will be playing.

It’s also unclear if Kit Harington will appear in the film after the end-credits sting in Eternals teased Blade and Dane Whitman coming into contact over the mythical ebony blade.

What is the plot of Blade?

(Marvel Studios)
The title treatment for Blade. (Marvel Studios)

Little is known about the plot of Blade as yet. Part of the reason for the change in director was issues with the script and a lack of action. But given that Blade has a long history of fighting the more occult figures in the MCU it’s possible that the plot could take threads from Moon Knight or Werewolf-by-Night and see what happens with those.

Read more: Who are the Young Avengers?

Previous Blade films has dealt with vampires trying to harvest Blade’s blood so they can walk in the day light, as well as him facing off against Dracula himself. Given the increasing presence of the supernatural it’s possible we could see Blade coming up against some truly scary foes.

Who is making Blade?

TELLURIDE, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 04: Yann Demange attends the Telluride Film Festival on September 05, 2021 in Telluride, Colorado. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images)
Yann Demange at the Telluride Film Festival, 2021. ( Killilea/Getty Images)

Blade is set to be directed by Yann Demange, the British director of ’71 and White Boy Rick.

Demange has worked in TV having helmed episodes of Top Boy and Lovecraft Country meaning this iteration of Blade may have a more realistic and dark feel to it. Demange takes over the reigns from Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq who departed the film over scheduling issues and creative conflicts over the direction of the film.

As a result the film’s script has been completely re-written by Michael Starrbury, the Emmy-nominated writer behind When They See Us and Colin in Black and White.

How much of the original script has informed this new one is unknown but as yet only Starrbury is credited as writer suggesting old versions of the script have been discarded.

As of March 2024, at least five different writers are believed to have worked on the Blade script with no production start date in sight. Despite this, Ali remains confident in the project.

He said in a December 2023 interview: “We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you. I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. We’ll be back at it relatively soon.

“I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that. So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”


Blade is due for release on Friday, 7 November 2025

Watch: Could Blade be a period piece?