The Marvel Cinematic Universe Blade reboot will start filming in May 2023, according to a new report.The report comes courtesy of reputable scooper Daniel Richtman and claims that principal photography on the reboot will kick off on May 30. It follows previous buzz that Blade will commence filming in Summer 2023, with sources close to the produce supposedly pointing to a July start date. That said, Marvel Studios is yet to publicly confirm when the Blade shoot will happen, which means that both of these reports should be treated as pure speculation for now.
Talk of Blade entering principal photography will nevertheless come as a relief to fans of the vampire hunter, given the production's troubled history to date. Notably, Marvel Studios hit pause on Blade in October 2022 after director Bassim Tariq exited the project. This caused problems for the studios' wider slate of film and TV productions, resulting in the MCU Phases Five and Six undergoing a reshuffle. This included moving Blade into Deadpool 3's September 2024 release window, which bumped that film from Phase Five to Phase Six. Other films affected by the reshuffle include Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Blade Reboot's Troubled Production
The Blade reboot reportedly had more problems than an empty director's chair, too. Star Mahershala Ali was allegedly unhappy with the movie's script, which sources say was set in the 1920s and pitted Blade against European vampires. Issues with the script supposedly included the quality and frequency of its set pieces, with the 90-page document only containing two action scenes that were apparently underwhelming. Ali was reportedly so frustrated with the Blade screenplay that he adopted a hands-on role during the rewriting process.
The production has seemingly turned a corner in recent months, though. Lovecraft Country's Yann Demange reportedly signed on to direct Blade in November 2022, filling the void left by Tariq. The reboot brought in When They See Us scribe Michael Starrbury to rework the current screenplay, as well. It's currently unclear whether Starrbury is working alongside original screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour or if he replaced her, although the latter scenario seems more likely. It's also uncertain whether Ali is still directly contributing to the screenplay now that Starrbury has joined the project.
Marvel Studios' Blade reboot is set to arrive in theaters on Sept. 6, 2024, and will serve as the final installment in the MCU Phase Five.
Source: Twitter