The news was quiet on Blade front in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although this changed after the Hall H studio panel at Comic Con. Kevin Feige took the stage to announce that Bladestarring two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, green book) will begin filming in October. BladeThe film’s release date has also been announced, with the film set to hit theaters on November 3, 2023.
Blade was first announced in the same room three years ago, at the same time as Ali’s casting announcement. Both this film and Fantastic 4 are the only projects announced on the MCU panel in 2019 that have yet to be released, though there have been mild mentions of Miracles, Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveras well as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Feige and Marvel’s plans. Moreover, it is now known that Blade will be part of Marvel Phase 5, further making her delay clearer.
Filming for Blade The events are expected to take place at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, and the city will become synonymous with the filming location for several Marvel projects. Additional filming locations will include New Orleans, Cleveland, Ohio and Morocco. The only other confirmed castings in the project are Delroy Lindo (yes 5 blood) as well as Aaron Pierre (Old) in cryptic roles, although it is highly likely that EternalDane Whitman played by Kit Harington, will appear in the movie. Blade’s voice was briefly heard in this film’s post-credits scene, casting doubt on Whitman’s choice to use the Ebony Blade. Presumably, this ancient artifact will become the main element of the film.
Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) directs a film from a script Stacy Osei-Kuffour (watchman, Handle15). It’s unclear which direction the film will take, especially considering how close it will be to Eric Brooks/Blade’s origins. In the comics, Brooks is born a human/vampire hybrid due to his mother being killed by a vampire while she was giving birth to her son. Blade uses this lineage to become a vampire hunter, as he is immune to vampire bites.
Marvel is definitely leaning more into the horror realm with films like Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness and announced Werewolf at night With Gael Garcia Bernal. Nothing has been said about the latest project other than that it was released specifically for Halloween on Disney+. That said, with Disney D23 just around the corner in early September, expect Feige and Marvel to pull back the curtain even further. Blade and the rest of the current Sage of the Multiverse.
Blade will be released in theaters on November 3, 2023.
Source: Collider
