Atlanta will host the start of filming for Marvel's "Blade" in October

 

 

 

Following the studio's Hall H event at Comic Con, the silence on the Blade front in the Marvel Cinematic Universe altered. Filming on Blade, starring two-time Academy Award winner
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book), will start in October, Kevin Feige announced on stage. It was also revealed when Blade would be released; it would do so on November 3, 2023.

Three years ago, Ali's casting was made public in the same room as the original "Blade" announcement. The Marvels, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" were all given light mentions, but only this movie and "Fantastic 4" have been officially confirmed and published. Of course, the COVID-19 epidemic complicated Feige and Marvel's preparations in a number of ways. Blade's postponement is further made evident by the fact that it will be included in Marvel's Phase 5.

Atlanta's Tyler Perry Studios will likely serve as the venue for Blade's filming, with the city having  served as the setting for a number of Marvel productions. The shoot will also take place in New Orleans, Cleveland, Ohio, and Morocco. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (Old) have both been cast in unspecified roles; however, it is quite possible that Kit Harington's Dane Whitman from the television series Eternals will make an appearance. In the movie's post-credits sequence, Blade's voice may be heard challenging Whitman's decision to deploy the Ebony Blade. Obviously, this antiquated item will play a significant role in the movie.

The movie is being directed by Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli), based on a script by Stacey Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen, Pen15). It's unclear what path the movie will go in, especially given how closely it resembles Eric Brooks/origin Blade's story. In the comic books, Brooks is born a human/vampire hybrid since his mother was murdered by a vampire while giving birth to him. Due of his immunity to vampire bites, Blade exploits this origin to become a vampire hunter.

With movies like "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and the recently announced "Werewolf by Night" with Gael Garca Bernal, Marvel is undoubtedly leaning more toward the horror genre. Other than the fact that it will be a Halloween special made available on Disney+, little is known about the latter project. Expect Feige and Marvel to reveal even more about "Blade" and the rest of the current Multiverse Sage, though, since Disney's D23 is just around the horizon in early September.

In three "Blade" movies between 1998 and 2004, Wesley Snipes turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe's favorite vampire hunter into an iconic comic book character. Mahershala Ali, a two-time Oscar winner, will take up the role in a future Marvel Studios picture directed by "Mogul Mowgli" director Bassam Tariq. Naturally, Snipes has been questioned about the future of "Blade" in interviews with Yahoo! Movies and during press conferences for his upcoming Netflix miniseries "True Story" (via JoBlo.com), Snipes shared the advice he provided to Ali when the latter was cast.

"We spoke. We agreed that it wasn't a personal matter between us that he got cast in the role. I don't mind at all. I don't go about as Blade, so I'm not really that wedded to the persona, you know? I have no sense of loss. Zero. And I'm glad he was chosen because I know he'll do a fantastic job", Snipes stated. 

 "Make sure you're in shape, dude," he advised Ali. Ensure your physical fitness. Try to avoid being harmed. That's a lot. The rigors of action movies need you to be a top athlete with excellent conditioning in order to survive and stay injury-free. Take advantage of it while you can.

Stacy Osei-Kuffour, a "PEN15" Emmy nominee, was chosen by Ali for the "Blade" script, making her the first Black woman to write for the MCU. A large box is available for Tariq and Osei-Kuffour to play in: Due to the lack of canon, the IP "Blade" is more malleable.

"What's exciting about the movie that we're developing is [there] hasn't been a canon for 'Blade,' as we're going through the comics and everything", Tariq said in a recent interview. "The one thing that has been proven is that he is a daywalker, and you know we can't refute what Wesley Snipes did, which was he effectively started this whole thing. The superhero universe that we live in was founded by a Black guy, simple as that." I'm so thrilled to be working with actual Black juggernauts and Black talent, especially someone as amazing and a juggernaut as Mahershala Ali and the writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour. It's an honor for me to simply sit with them in this room, listen, and learn while I develop this".