Marvel Studios' long-awaited reboot of "Blade" starring Mahershala Ali has faced yet another major setback after being removed from Disney's 2025 release calendar entirely in October 2024.

The film, which was slated for a November 7, 2025 release, has been replaced by "Predator: Badlands" on the schedule.

At the New York premiere of "Jurassic World Rebirth" in June 2025, Ali addressed the status of the troubled project with a notably brief but pointed response. When asked about when "Blade" production might finally begin, the two-time Oscar winner simply said: "Call Marvel. I'm ready. Let them know I'm ready."

This marked his most direct public comment about the film's delays, suggesting growing frustration with Marvel's inability to move the project forward.

In a different interview, however, Ali dodged a question about the "Blade" reboot. During promotions for the new movie on Vogue's "Off the Cuff," co-star Jonathan Bailey asked him and Scarlett Johansson how many MCU movies each of them have appeared in.

"Leave me out of it," Ali responded with a laugh.

The "Blade" reboot has endured a turbulent development process since its announcement at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. The project has cycled through multiple directors, with Bassam Tariq departing in September 2022 due to creative differences, just two months before planned production. His replacement, Yann Demange, also left the project in June 2024 after nearly two years attached to the film.

Script issues have plagued the production throughout its development, with at least five different writers taking passes at the screenplay. Reports from 2023 indicated that at one point, the story had "morphed into a narrative led by women and filled with life lessons" with Blade "relegated to the fourth lead". This allegedly prompted Ali to consider leaving the project entirely, forcing Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige to hire "Logan" writer Michael Green to start the script from scratch.

The film has also lost key cast members during its prolonged development. Actors Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo, who were previously attached to star alongside Ali, have both confirmed their departure from the project. Delroy Lindo told Entertainment Weekly that while the project was "really exciting conceptually," it eventually "went off the rails".

Despite these setbacks, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has maintained that the studio remains committed to the project.

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Mahershala Ali, Marvel, Blade, Reboot, Film, Movie, Rumors