The highly anticipated Blade movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is facing a temporary halt in pre-production due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. Starring Mahershala Ali as the iconic vampire hunter, Blade was scheduled for release in September 2024. However, according to THR, Marvel Studios has been forced to suspend pre-production activities as the writers’ strike disrupted the completion of the script.
Marvel had recently enlisted Nic Pizzolatto to pen the screenplay, but due to timing constraints, the script was left unfinished when the strike took effect. The film was gearing up to begin shooting at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta this month before the setback occurred.
This delay adds to a series of setbacks that have plagued the Blade reboot. The project has been in development since 2013 when Marvel first hinted at its existence. After officially announcing the film in 2019, Blade was initially slated for a November 3, 2023 release. However, creative differences led to the departure of the original director Bassam Tariq, who was replaced by Yann Demange.
Yann Demange joined the project while the screenplay, originally written by Stacy Osei-Kuffour, was being revised by Michael Starrbury. The latest addition to the writing team was Nic Pizzolatto, announced in April, shortly before the film’s originally scheduled production start date. The uncertainties surrounding the screenplay and production had already cast doubt on Blade’s projected timeline, and now the strike has officially delayed the process.
The duration of the 2023 writers’ strike remains uncertain, with the previous major strike in 2007 lasting 14 weeks. The strike could significantly impact Blade’s planned release date in 2024. However, it will also affect other upcoming unwritten Marvel projects, so the studio may adjust their release schedule to accommodate the strike’s aftermath once negotiations are resolved.
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