In 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced in front of the San Diego Comic-Con crowd that Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali has joined the MCU to play Blade in a new reboot.
However, since then, the project has been plagued with several behind-the-scenes issues due to numerous changes to its writers and directors and conflict over the creative direction of the film.
A lot of fans have been wondering whether the project will still happen due to the massive delays and pre-production troubles that are hindering it from officially moving forward.
There are also some questions surrounding Ali's commitment to the film since he has been attached to the role since 2019 and yet he has only played the character once through voice role in the post-credits scene of Eternals.
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Mahershala Ali Almost Quit Blade Following Script Issues
In a recent report from Variety that exposed the current state of the MCU, they revealed that Ali was considering exiting Blade due to the various script issues that it encountered over the course of time.
The project had gone through at least five writers, two directors, and one shutdown six weeks before production.
According to their source, one of the previous versions of the script would have seen the film morphed into a story led by women and filled with life lessons while Blade will be relegated to the fourth lead despite being the supposed actual main character.
As a result, Feige decided to go back to square one for the project and hired Logan co-writer Michael Green to pen a new script.
It is also being reported that the film will now have a budget of less than $100 million which is a decrease from Marvel's usual massive spending.
Considering the various issues that the project has encountered over the past few years, it's not surprising that Ali was feeling frustrated over its lack of movement and almost quit the project rather than remaining committed to something that might go nowhere.
It looks like Marvel Studios is finally taking the project seriously as they don't wanna encounter another woe, and, hopefully, Green's script will be the one that will push it forward since fans have been anticipating the film for years now.
Now, let's wait and see how the project will unfold in the next couple of months as they're supposed to begin production by next year. Hopefully, the next news that we will hear is going to be more positive this time around.
Blade is slated for release in theaters on February 14, 2025.
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