Those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that the shared universe is always expanding, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The next upcoming Marvel movie hitting theaters is Shawn Levy's Deadpool & Wolverine, and excitement is at a fever pitch. But there are also a few announced projects that are stuck in development, including Mahershala Ali's Blade movie. While speaking with CinemaBlend, Kevin Feige linked Marvel’s ongoing Blade delays to the current success of Deadpool, and his reasoning makes so much sense.
What we know about Blade is super limited, but the project has already faced years of delays. Kevin Feige previously said they were still trying to "crack" the movie, as well as land a new director. While some fans are getting frustrated, Feige recently spoke to CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell about the wait, and linked it to Deadpool & Wolverine. As he put it:
It's part of the process. And when you have a character as famous as Blade, and an actor as famous as Mahershala, everything that happens just gets a lot of attention. I'm sure you've heard us talk about, we were struggling finding the perfect reason for Deadpool to exist, for the third Deadpool movie in the MCU, and then Hugh Jackman called, and it fell into place. Sometimes you need that magic thing that falls into place. And sometimes it happens – sometimes it takes a day. Sometimes it takes two years. Sometimes it takes 10 years. But that's what you really should be waiting for, until you make something.
Some serious points were made during CinemaBlend's interview with Feige about Deadpool & Wolverine. Like Blade, the development process for Deadpool 3 was a very long one, taking years after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties. Ultimately Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine is what helped to put a fire under the blockbuster, and Feige is seemingly waiting for another linchpin creative choice for Mahershala Ali's debut as Blade.
While we wait for Marvel Studios to reveal more about what's happening with the reboot, some fans are figuring out how to watch Wesley Snipes' Blade movies on streaming. Those movies have aged quite well, especially as they came so long before shared universes and comic book flicks became commonplace. And as such, there are very big shoes to fill when bringing the vampiric hero to the MCU.
Feige's comments to CinemaBlend specifically reference the fact that an actor like Mahershala Ali is at the center of Blade, which adds extra pressure to get it right. He continues the line of Oscar-winning Marvel actors, and Kevin Feige seemingly wants to make sure that he's got the right material to shine. After all, the movie could be the start of a long tenure in the MCU for Ali, who was previously heard in Eternals' credits scene.
Blade is currently expected to arrive in theater on November 7th, 2025, so the movie is going to have to pick up speed if it's not going to be delayed again. In the meantime, check out the 2025 movie release dates.
