Vampires and curses go hand in hand no matter the space or time. Marvel Studios’ Blade reboot is facing another setback, as the Writers Guild of America has gone on strike fighting for fairer work conditions and better pay, the studio has halted pre-production of its highly anticipated vampire thriller starring Mahershala Ali, The Hollywood Reporter revealed. Production was halted once before in search of an appropriate director which ended with Yann Demange coming on board, recently True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto was hired to work on the script but per the report “time simply ran out.”
The Writers Guild of America called a strike after negotiations with AMPTP fell apart. The writers are fighting for fair compensation and residuals among other things. Meaning, being a WGA member Pizzolatto can’t finish the script till the strike ends, leaving the pre-production in limbo. The road to bringing Blade to the big screen is proving tiresome for the studio and the talents involved. With Ali taking the lead role many fans are eagerly waiting to see the vampire in the dark corners of the MCU.
Marvel Studios’ Production Slate
As Bob Iger returned to CEO's chair, Marvel Studios has promised to focus more on quality than quantity. MCU means a lot for its fandom and viewers are patient enough to see well-rounded projects. Phase 4 has been in a bit of a dicey situation given a plethora of projects coming out on the big screen and small. But after Iger made some sweeping changes, the studio can now again focus on providing quality content.
But that doesn’t mean wheels have stopped rolling for the studio as it plans on having three movies shooting at the same time along with two Disney+ series. Even with the Blade shutdown, the studio is gearing up for one of the busiest times in the company’s history. Currently, the Anthony Mackie-led fourth installment of Captain America is filming in Atlanta as is Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha: Coven of Chaos. While fellow Disney+ series Wonder Man featuring Yaha Abdul Mateen II is filming in Los Angeles.
The next big movie to go in production later this month in London is Deadpool 3 which brings back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine to bicker with Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth. The Thunderbolts is set to begin filming in Atlanta in June which for now is still on track. While per the report, Fantastic Four is eyeing a January 2024 production start date in London. Marvel movies are famous for keeping a writer on the set to keep adjusting scripts as and when needed same with the reshoots. The basic understanding is that the studio will shoot what it can while the strike lasts and then rework whatever is needed in reshoots, which per Marvel standards is baked into the production process.
While things can change, Blade is currently looking at September 6, 2024 release date.