Marvel Studios' Blade reboot is targeting a Summer 2023 filming window, according to a new report.Reputable scooper Lizzie Hill recently tweeted that her insider sources claim the upcoming film is slated to kick off principal photography in July 2023. That said, Marvel Studios has yet officially to confirm when it expects cameras to roll on Blade, which means this report should be taken with a grain of salt for now.
Rumblings of a potential start date for the Blade shoot should help alleviate many fans' concerns about the reboot, stemming from its troubled production cycle. Blade has been plagued by delays since Marvel Studios announced the project in July 2019. The most recent hold-up came after director Bassam Tariq stepped down in September 2022, roughly a year before Blade was meant to debut in cinemas. Marvel Studios has since hired Lovecraft Country's Yann Demange to helm Blade, while When They See Us scribe Michael Starrbury has reportedly taken over as screenwriter from Stacy Osei-Kuffour.
Can Marvel Studios Get Blade Back on Track?
Star Mahershala Ali is apparently taking a hands-on role when it comes to the Blade reboot's script, as well. A recent report claims that the Oscar-winning actor is now directly involved in the rewriting process, after allegedly expressing frustration over the quality of the previous screenplays. This included one of the most recent drafts, which reportedly took place during the 1920s and pitted Ali's vampire hunter against enemies hailing from Europe. Sources say the draft was 90 pages long and only included two action sequences, both of which were apparently underwhelming.
Between Demange and Starburry's hiring and Ali's continued enthusiasm for the project, Marvel Studios is no doubt hoping that Blade is now back on track. The reboot's protracted development has already had major knock-on effects for the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically, the scheduling of the MCU Phases Five and Six. Blade is now the final installment in Phase Five, bumping Deadpool 3 to Phase Six. This in turn led Marvel Studios to reshuffle the rest of its sixth slate of movies, moving Fantastic Four's premiere to Feb. 14, 2025 (from Nov. 8, 2024) and Avengers: Secrets Wars' premiere to May 1, 2026 (from Nov. 7, 2025). The only other confirmed Phase Six entry, Avengers: Kang Dynasty, retains its May 2, 2025 release date, however.
Marvel Studios' Blade reboot is set to arrive in theaters on Sept. 6, 2024.
Source: Twitter