Blade Trilogy Writer on MCU Reboot Delay: 'Why So Long?'

David S. Goyer, the creative mind behind the Wesley Snipes-led Blade trilogy, has expressed his readiness to step in and help revive Mahershala Ali's stalled Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) reboot. The much-anticipated project has encountered numerous obstacles, leaving fans wondering if it will ever see the light of day.

Just last month, rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to share his involvement in the project and the unfortunate news that it had fallen through. "I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah, I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru," he said. Lotus, who recently directed Shudder's new sci-fi horror film ASH, expressed doubt about the project's revival but mentioned it would have been a fun endeavor.

A day before Lotus's tweet, costume designer Ruth E. Carter confirmed on The John Campea Show that she was set to design costumes for Blade, which was initially slated to be set in the 1920s. This setting promised exciting possibilities for costume and production design. Actor Delroy Lindo, who was also attached to the project alongside Mahershala Ali, shared his disappointment with Entertainment Weekly. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he said. "And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails."

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with a planned release in November of the current year. However, the film has seen multiple directors come and go, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq. In an interview with ScreenRant, Goyer, who wrote and directed entries in the original trilogy, expressed his bewilderment at the delays. "I would," he responded when asked if he would write the reboot. "I’ve always loved the character and I love him. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines wondering, ‘What in the world is going on? Why is it taking so long?’ Because I’m a huge Marvel fan myself, and I’ve just been totally puzzled."

It's been seven months since Blade was removed from Marvel’s release schedule, and no new release date has been confirmed. However, Marvel chief Kevin Feige remains optimistic. In an interview with Omelete in November 2024, he affirmed, "We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening. But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."

Meanwhile, the MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine, which featured a cameo by Wesley Snipes as Blade, grossed an impressive $1.3 billion worldwide. Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds praised the original Blade films for paving the way for superhero cinema, stating on X, "There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market. He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send-off."

Reynolds is reportedly in the early stages of developing a Deadpool and X-Men ensemble film, as mentioned by THR. This project would feature Deadpool but not as the central character, instead sharing the spotlight with three or four other X-Men characters who would be "used in unexpected ways."

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