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With an Oscar-winning actor in the lead, the revival of a beloved Marvel superhero, and a rare R rating, the “Blade” reboot was poised to be a major highlight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, integrating the daywalker into the MCU has proven more challenging than anticipated. In the video above, we delve into everything we know about the film that hasn’t yet come to fruition.
Back in 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige took the spotlight at San Diego Comic-Con to announce the upcoming phase of the MCU. Among films like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Eternals,” and “Black Widow,” “Blade” was prominently featured. Wesley Snipes originally portrayed the iconic daywalker from 1998 to 2004, and finding a successor was no small task. Feige believed Mahershala Ali was the ideal choice. Excitingly, it was also revealed that this “Blade” would carry an R rating, promising the same gritty edge seen in “Deadpool.”
Yet, nearly seven years after that announcement, we are still waiting to witness Ali wield a katana against vampires. Interestingly, Snipes managed to reprise his role first, making a cameo in 2024’s “Deadpool and Wolverine.” Whether “Blade” will ever break free from development limbo remains uncertain, but all the buzz around this reboot paints a thrilling picture. Watch the video above for a glimpse of what could have been.
Details about Mahershala Ali’s envisioned “Blade” remain scarce. However, a significant clue emerged from an unexpected source: Ryan Coogler’s vampire film “Sinners.” In 2025, producer Sev Ohanian disclosed that costume designer Ruth E. Carter repurposed unused costumes from “Blade” for “Sinners,” indicating that “Blade” was planned to be set in the 1920s.
Additionally, the film was set to feature Mia Goth, known for her roles in the “X” trilogy and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” as a vampire named Lillith, Dracula’s daughter. Although still technically attached to the project, Goth mentioned in a recent interview that progress stalled after initial pre-production efforts.
But in the nearly seven years since that announcement, it seems like we’re no closer to seeing Ali slice a vampire with a katana. Not only that, but Snipes beat Ali to the punch, putting on the trench coat one more time for a cameo in 2024’s “Deadpool and Wolverine.” We don’t know if “Blade” will ever escape development hell and return to the land of the living, but everything we’ve heard about this proposed reboot sounds fantastic. So watch the video above to get a taste of what we might’ve seen.
It’s a tragedy that Blade may never see the light of day
Marvel/Disney
We’ve only been able to piece together small slivers of information about what Mahershala Ali’s “Blade” film would have entailed. One of the biggest hints comes from a very different vampire movie: Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” Producer Sev Ohanian explained in 2025 that “Sinners” costume designer Ruth E. Carter was able to repurpose unused costumes from the “Blade” movie for “Sinners,” revealing that “Blade” would have also been set 100 years ago, in the 1920s.
We also know that the film would have featured Mia Goth, star of the “X” trilogy and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” as a vampire named Lillith, who happens to be none other than the daughter of Dracula. While technically still attached to the film, Goth admitted in a recent interview that the project seemed to stall out after an initial bout of pre-production.
It’s positively heartbreaking to watch the video above and see just how close we got to seeing Ali as “Blade,” despite the movie’s behind-the-scenes issues, because based on all the elements they assembled, from the cast to the crew, it sounds like it might have been incredible.