Marvel’s Blade Taken Out By The Predator’s Next Movie
After years of delays, multiple directors dropping out, and rumors that star Mahershala Ali was getting frustrated with the production, Marvel’s Blade has been removed from Disney’s schedule for 2025. While it was unlikely the film would have made the release date, this is yet another major blow for a film that now, fans doubt will ever make it to theaters. Instead, Disney has slotted Predator: Badlands into the November 7 release date.
The Long History Of Blade’s Production
Blade’s uphill battle to get made started in 2019, when the film was first announced with Ali already attached as the Daywalker. Previously one of the best parts of Luke Cage as the gangster Cottonmouth, Ali was fresh off an Oscar win the previous year for Green Book, and everyone, from fans to the star himself, was excited about the vampire-killing remake. To put the gap between the announcement and when the film is finally made into perspective, three Thor movies were made in the span of six years, and four Avengers films only took seven years, and even that might be smaller than the gap between 2019 and whenever Blade actually hits theaters.
Originally, Blade was slated to arrive in 2022, but that was before director Tariq Bassam left the film, followed earlier this year by the news that Yann Demange has also left the production. No reason has been given as of yet, other than a generic “creative differences,” and rumors trickling through social media that there were problems with the script. Allegedly, the film focuses on Blade’s daughter, Brielle Brooks, who recently joined the mainline Marvel comic universe.
Mahershala Ali is still attached as Blade, with scream queen Mia Goth playing the demonic villain Lillith, but as with everything related to the film, that could all change in a matter of days.
Predator Fills The Gap
While Blade stumbles and falls off the release calendar, Predator: Badlands, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Prey, will be released in theaters on November 7, 2025 instead. Dan Trachtenberg is returning to direct, with Elle Fanning stepping in as the new lead. Instead of exploring the past, the film will go into the future, but beyond that, nothing is known about the plot. However, with the subtitle “Badlands,” it can be assumed to be post-apocalyptic in some way. Maybe.
Predator: Badlands may not be the Prey sequel that fans wanted, but a direct sequel to the Predator vs. Native Americans streaming film that has saved the franchise will allegedly be in the works following the future-set standalone film. Prey skipped theaters, going directly to Hulu, which is the path some industry analysts thought the new film would take, but it’s great for fans that Disney has changed plans and is going ahead with the full theatrical release. It also helps that they had a film waiting in the wings to step in as Blade continues to languish.
Fans Are Losing Hope
For now, the only mention of Blade in the MCU is Mahershala Ali’s voice coming from offscreen during Eternals post-credit scene with Kit Harrington’s Black Knight about to pick up the Ebony Blade. Since then, Wesley Snipes returned to the role that helped launch the current era of superhero movies in Deadpool & Wolverine, prompting fans to campaign for a fourth film with Snipes instead of the snake-bitten MCU reboot. At this point, Marvel fans will finally believe Blade is coming to theaters when they are in their seats and watching the film, and not a moment before.
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