Credit: Marvel Studios
In what’s likely not the biggest shocker coming out of Marvel, the studio has officially confirmed that Blade, Avengers: Secret Wars, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four have all been delayed. Below are the new official dates for each film:
- Blade: September 6, 2024 (previously November 3, 2023)
- Untitled Deadpool Movie: November 8, 2024 (previously September 6, 2024)
- Fantastic Four: February 14, 2025 (previously November 8, 2024)
- Untitled Marvel Movie: November 7, 2023 (previously February 14, 2025)
- Avengers: Secret Wars: May 1, 2026 (previously November 7, 2025)
- Untitled Marvel Movie 2: Removed from the schedule (previously May 1, 2026)
Of course, the move stems from the fact that Blade recently lost its director, Bassam Tariq, which Disney released a statement first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, “Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of Blade but will remain an executive producer on the film. We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.”
Credit: Blade
Reportedly, Mahershala Ali is frustrated with the pre-production process, with the alleged script being 90-pages and featuring only two lackluster action sequences throughout the entire film. Initially, the Blade was supposed to start production back in July, but as you can see, that never happened. The shooting was delayed to November, but then the news of Tariq exiting the film hit the media weeks before filming started. The film was announced in 2019, with the two-time Oscar winner confirmed as the titular vampire. Wesley Snipes first played the Marvel character back in 1998, with Blade: Trinity (featuring Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds) in 2004 being the last feature played by Snipes.
The character would return in a series for the former Spike TV, which followed the events after Blade: Trinity. The show premiered on June 28, 2006, with rapper Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones replacing Wesley Snipes as the Marvel anti-hero and garnered a strong 2.5 million viewers making it the most-watched original series premiere in Spike TV history. Unfortunately, the series couldn’t keep up the momentum as fans weren’t necessarily big on the show and by the time season (now series) finale rolled around, viewership had dropped to less than a million.
Credit: The Tomb of Dracula #10
Blade made his first comic book appearance in July 1973 under The Tomb of Dracula #10. Following the cancellation of the Spike TV series, the popular vampire hasn’t made any live-action appearances until his surprise cameo in Eternals, though it’s only the voice of Blade. The scene had Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman stare at an ancient chest and take out a sword called Ebony Blade. A mysterious voice questioned if he was ready for it. The change in schedule comes hours after it was confirmed that Marvel Studios was putting Blade on pause. According to The Hollywood Reporter, executives want to make sure that they get the project right and are willing to take their time.
In the eyes of many fans and critics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s quality has notably dropped off following Avengers: Endgame. While Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: No Way Home have received heaps of praise, no other film has garnered a greater than 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Of course, that can change when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrive in theaters. Despite the disappointment of Blade being pushed back once again, it’s encouraging that Marvel is trying to make sure that the script is in great shape first. Ali will surely bring his A-game in the role, so casting definitely isn’t the issue, but Marvel needs to make sure that the script is up to par with the lead’s talents. We’ll keep you up to date if more news comes out of this situation.
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