During Marvel Studio’s Hall H panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Mahershala Ali would play Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Five years later, the Blade reboot continues to be plagued with setbacks and behind-the-scenes issues, and until today, the plan had been for the upcoming Marvel movie to be released in November 2025. That’s no longer happening, but what’s bad news for Marvel fans is good news for those of you who like the Predator franchise.
A new wave of updates has come in regarding release dates for upcoming Disney movies, and among them is Blade being removed from the November 7, 2025 slot and being replaced by Predator: Badlands. Considering that Blade would have needed to be filming now, if not finished with principal photography, in order to make that November date, this move is hardly surprising. Badlands, on the other hand, began filming in late August in New Zealand, so it taking over that slot makes complete sense.
So rather than give Blade yet another date, Disney has opted to remove it from its schedule entirely. This news comes three months after Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige that the creative minds at the company were still trying to “crack” the movie, and that it was important to make sure that the script writing process wasn’t being rushed. Feige also told our own Sean O’Connell that “sometimes you need that magic thing that falls into place.”
Meanwhile, Predator: Badlands will bring the Predator franchise back to the big screen following the streaming-exclusive release of the prequel Prey, which can be accessed with a Hulu subscription. Elle Fanning, who will next be seen in the 2024 movie release A Complete Unknown, is playing the lead role, and Prey’s Dan Trachtenberg will reprise his helming duties for this sixth installment in the franchise; eight if you count the Alien vs. Predator movies. No official plot details have been disclosed yet.
So things are looking good for Predator fans a little over a year from now, but those who are eager to see Mahershala Ali bring Blade to life following Wesley Snipes’ time with the character (including in Deadpool & Wolverine) will have to keep waiting for that indefinitely. Frankly, with all the obstacles the Blade reboot has faced, I worry that this project will end up going the way of Inhumans, which was once supposed to follow the fourth Avengers movie, but was ultimately scrapped and later adapted into a critically-panned TV series. If that happens with Blade, then all we’ll get from Ali in the MCU is his vocal cameo in Eternals.
At least MCU enthusiasts don’t need to worry about being devoid of any movies in 2025, as Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are all slated between next February and July. You’re also welcome to use your Disney+ subscription to revisit almost the entirety of the MCU continuity.
