Kevin Feige Finally Addresses MCU’s Blade Reboot Struggles

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige opens up about the constant struggles plaguing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s long-delayed Blade reboot. During a roundtable discussion with various media outlets, Feige touched on Blade and addressed why it’s taken so long for the project to come to fruition. After confirming star Mahershala Ali is still attached to the film, Feige joked the holdup was Ryan Coogler’s Sinners making use of period costumes originally designed for Blade. Shifting gears, Feige was very candid about Marvel oversaturating the marketplace with new projects and the negative impact that had on the franchise. He also explained he wants the Blade story to go above and beyond the general premise.

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“We had spent 12 years working on the Infinity Saga, saying, ‘That’s never going to happen to us,’” Feige said (via Variety) about the MCU over-extending itself with a bevy of films and TV shows. “We always had more characters that people were asking about than we could possibly make, because we weren’t going to make a movie a month — that’s crazy. Suddenly there’s a mandate to make more, and we go, ‘Well, we do have more’ … But maybe that’s what we fell into.”

Regarding Blade specifically, Feige emphasized how important it is to get the script right. “We didn’t want to simply just put a leather outfit on him and have him start killing vampires. It had to be unique,” he said. “It fell into the time when we started pulling back and saying, ‘Only accept insanely great.’ And it wasn’t ‘insanely great’ at the time.”

MCU fans are quite familiar with the saga of the Blade reboot. After being announced with much enthusiasm at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, the film has cycled through numerous writers and directors, and has even lost cast members such as Delroy Lindo. In October 2024, Disney pulled Blade from its release schedule as Marvel tries to get the movie in order. The constant delays have been a source of frustration for many, including even Marvel star Michael B. Jordan.

During the press tour for this summer’s Jurassic World Rebirth, Ali addressed the current state of Blade, and his comments didn’t inspire much confidence that the film is on the horizon. When asked how Blade was coming along, Ali responded with, “Call Marvel … Let them know I’m ready.” He also deflected a question about his role in the MCU in a video where he and co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson asked each other questions about themselves. “Leave me out of it. That’s a Scarlett question,” Ali cracked.

Prior to the creation of the MCU, the character Blade headlined a trilogy of films starring Wesley Snipes as the Daywalker. Since the property has successfully been brought to the big screen before, many are flabbergasted that it’s taken this long for Marvel Studios to crack the code. Feige and Co. have rebooted characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four and are currently putting together a new X-Men film, so they have plenty of experience finding new takes on classic titles moviegoers are familiar with. It arguably should not be this difficult to make a new Blade, but Feige’s reasoning is at least understandable. Especially in this current era of diminished box office returns for the MCU, just being the latest Marvel movie isn’t enough. Feige wants to make sure the script delivers something truly special that will excite audiences and be deserving of Ali’s Oscar-winning talents.

For many, building an action movie around Ali killing vampires while looking cool in a leather trench coat is all they want from a Blade reboot. That recipe sounds like an easy win, but Feige’s hope is that the reboot is more than just a straightforward action movie. Through all its ups and downs, Marvel has been consistent at introducing characters audiences have responded positively to. The way to ensure a character will resonate with viewers is to make him or her the center of a compelling and entertaining story. With someone as gifted as Ali front and center on Blade, there’s a high standard to meet. Hopefully, once the dust settles after Avengers: Secret Wars, Blade can round into shape.