Disney Proves They Can’t Figure Out Blade (Again)
It was all fun, laughter, and games for those of us who, over the summer, ducked into an air-conditioned cinema to watch Deadpool & Wolverine and chuckled along with Wesley Snipes at the expense of Disney’s upcoming Blade reboot. But now, none of us are laughing as the studio has pulled yet another bait and switch, replacing the vampire-centered Marvel production with that of Predator: Badlands. Will we ever see Mahershala Ali (Leave the World Behind) take on the killer role previously held by Snipes? And at this point, do we even care?
Five Years Of Setbacks
It certainly doesn’t seem like Disney cares about the Blade reboot, as the project has been in the works for five years over at the House of Mouse and Marvel Studios. There was so much joy and excitement in the air at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 when it was revealed that the movie was getting a revamp (pun intended), but now, that joy is all out of life – just like many of the bloodsucking villains that the titular vampire hunter clashes with.
The first of many slowdowns to plague Disney’s Blade reboot is totally understandable as the historic writers’ and actors’ strikes of last year took a toll on numerous industry productions. But it’s almost like the reimagining was cursed (could Wesley Snipes be behind the curse?) as the wheels continued to fall off, with both potential filmmakers Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange leaving their positions.
Despite these majorly upsetting slowdowns, the film’s stars, Mahershala Ali and Mia Goth stayed true to the Marvel film, holding onto their roles as the primary protagonist and antagonist, respectively.
Other Marvel Projects Delayed
Just about every title that has fallen under Marvel’s Phase 5 umbrella has faced a setback in one way or another, with Disney not just shifting Blade’s release multiple times but doing the same for other projects. On the big screen, many of us wondered if Captain America: Brave New World would ever see the light of day following a slew of reshoots and even a title change along the way. The same can be said about Thunderbolts, which had its release date shifted ahead of schedule, taking the slot previously held by Fantastic Four, which was pushed back to Phase 6.
And then came the television changes with the current favorite, Agatha All Along, moving its date, while Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again was previously in the same boat as Blade, having been axed from the docket completely.
Oh – and we’re also still waiting on the official arrival date for the miniseries Ironheart. All of this is to say that Marvel has been a bit of a hot mess over the last few years so Blade disappearing from the lineup isn’t that big of a shock.
Wesley Snipes Remains The One And Only
It’s been more than two decades since Wesley Snipes donned the dark sunglasses and sharpened his weapons for the first movie in what would become the Blade trilogy and, at least for right now, it looks like he may forever be the one and only man to hold the moniker. At the same time, considering the box office success and cult following the movie earned, there’s no doubt that Disney and Marvel will do everything in their power to ensure Blade sees the light of day.
Source: Deadline
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