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Next Blade Actor Confirmed After Mahershala Ali’s Movie Scrapped

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially lost Blade—for now. The Walt Disney Company pulled the long-delayed reboot from its release calendar in late 2024, leaving Mahershala Ali’s long-awaited debut as the vampire hunter in limbo. But while the live-action project remains stalled, Marvel has recast the role elsewhere.

Official Marvel Studios Blade Logo on a black background
Credit: Marvel Studios

Marvel’s Blade reboot has been on shaky ground ever since its announcement in 2019. Initially aiming for a 2024 premiere before moving to November 2025, the film’s constant creative shake-ups and production delays finally caught up with it. The project has cycled through multiple directors and writers, with Yann Demange most recently exiting. Stacy Osei-Kaffeur, Bassam Tariq, Michael Starbury, Michael Green, and Nic Pizzolato were also attached at different points. Despite the turbulence, Mia Goth (Pearl) remains set to co-star.

“For the last few years, we’ve been trying to crack that movie,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Black Tree TV last year.

“I think the most important thing for us is not rushing it and making sure that we’re making the right Blade movie because there were some great Blade movies years ago.” Feige was referencing Wesley Snipes’ turn in the Blade trilogy from New Line Cinema in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Rumors about the film’s status had been swirling, particularly after it skipped San Diego Comic-Con. The speculation ended on October 22, 2024, when Disney confirmed the delay.

Mahershala Ali with Kevin Feige when Blade was announced
Credit: Marvel Studios

“In what comes as no surprise, Marvel Studios’ Blade won’t be coming out on November 7, 2025; rather, Disney is opening 20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands,” Deadline reported.

Predator: Badlands will serve as a sequel to 2022’s acclaimed Prey. Dan Trachtenberg returns as director, with Elle Fanning set to lead the film.

Marvel fans hoping for Ali’s big debut will have to wait, though Snipes’ cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine provided a temporary return of the Daywalker. That film passed the billion-dollar milestone in the summer of 2024. Marvel still has multiple open slots in its schedule, including three confirmed dates in 2028—February 18, May 5, and November 10—designed to launch Phase Seven after Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters in December 2027.

Mahershala Ali walking down a hallway with two guards
Credit: 20th Century Studios

While Ali’s movie remains stuck, Blade will still appear on screen—just not in the way fans might expect. Marvel Studios has confirmed that Invincible’s Todd Williams will voice a Multiversal Blade Variant, known as Blade Knight, in the upcoming animated series Marvel Zombies.

“Surprisingly, this might also act as the debut for Blade in the Marvel film line, with actor Todd Williams taking on a very different interpretation of the Day Walker,” Comic Book wrote in a recent update on the series.

Marvel Zombies continues the alternate-universe storyline introduced in What If…? and is the studio’s first TV-MA-rated animated project. Originally planned as a feature film, the series was restructured into a four-episode miniseries. Zeb Wells is head writer, with Bryan Andrews serving as showrunner and director. Stellar Creative Lab will once again provide animation.

Unlike Robert Kirkman’s comic series, this version builds its own continuity. Characters like Captain America, Scarlet Witch, and Thanos return as infected threats, while survivors include Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Ironheart (Dominique Thorne). Elizabeth Olsen, Randall Park, and Awkwafina also reprise their roles.

Marvel Zombies logo for Disney+
Credit: Marvel Studios

Despite the recasting, Kevin Feige stressed earlier this year that Ali is still attached to Blade’s solo project. He revealed that four separate iterations—both period-based and modern—had been developed, with the studio ultimately deciding on a present-day version.

Marvel Zombies premieres September 24, 2025, with all four episodes released simultaneously on Disney+. The date was moved up from October 3, giving fans an earlier look at Marvel’s boldest animated project yet.

The Blade delay also coincides with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s revised Marvel strategy. The studio will aim to cap output at three films and two series per year. Feige explained to reporters that the heavy crossovers between Disney+ shows and movies may have affected audience enthusiasm for theatrical releases.

Iger emphasized throughout 2024 that Marvel needed to refocus on quality following several missteps. In line with this, Marvel TV is undergoing a restructuring under Brad Winderbaum, who introduced a “new system” to reshape the creative process.

Scarlet Witch as a zombie in Marvel Zombies
Credit: Marvel Studios

The tighter release strategy left only three Marvel projects on the 2025 calendar. Captain America: Brave New World arrived in February, Thunderbolts* followed in May, and Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: The First Steps debuted in July to kick off Phase Six.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already in production, with Tom Holland confirming on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that filming begins in 2025. The film will open on July 31, 2026.

Now, the focus turns back to Ali and when he’ll finally step into the role of the Daywalker.

How do you feel about Blade’s removal from the schedule? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Thomas Hitchen

When he’s not thinking about the Magic Kingdom, Thomas is usually reading a book, becoming desperately obsessed with fictional characters, or baking something delicious (his favorite is chocolate cake -- to bake and to eat). He's a dreamer and grew up on Mulan saving the world, Jim Hawkins soaring through the stars, and Padmé Amidala fighting a Nexu. At the Parks, he loves to ride Everest, stroll down Main Street with an overstuffed pin lanyard around his neck, and eat as many Mickey-shaped ice creams as possible. His favorite character is Han Solo (yes, he did shoot first), and his… More »

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