Marvel’s ‘Blade’ Reboot: Kevin Feige Says the ‘Most Important Thing Is Not Rushing It’ After ‘Two Years’ of ‘Trying to Crack That Movie,’ Teases R-Rating

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke to BlackTree TV on his press tour for “Deadpool & Wolverine” and briefly touched upon the company’s long-in-the-works “Blade” reboot, which still has two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali set to star. Marvel announced its “Blade” reboot in July 2019, but development has been rocky as several writers and directors have come and gone from the project over the years. Feige said not rushing the film has been of utmost importance for the studio.

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Feige was asked about “Blade” in relation to “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which is the first R-rated entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvel boss said the only way of bringing Deadpool into the MCU was to keep him R-rated as that’s the essence of his character. The same goes for Blade, Feige teased.

“I think that’s right,” Feige said. “I mean, for the last two years as we’ve been trying to crack that movie, the most important thing for us is not rushing it and making sure we are making the right ‘Blade’ movie.”

Feige continued, “Because there were some great ‘Blade’ movies years ago — they were all rated-R. So I think that’s, like Deadpool, inherent with the character of Blade.”

Blade first came to life on the big screen with Wesley Snipes in the role, starting in the 1998 movie of the same name and continuing with 2002’s “Blade II,” directed by Guillermo Del Toro, and 2004’s “Blade: Trinity.”

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Marvel announced its own “Blade” movie with Ali in July 2019. Bassam Tariq was the first director to join the project, although he exited in September 2022, roughly two months before the film was set to begin filming. Several screenwriters have also been announced through the years, from “Watchmen” scribe Stacy Osei-Kuffour to Michael Starrbury.

Variety reported last November that “Blade” had gone through at least five writers by that time. One person familiar with the script changes said the story at one point morphed into a narrative led by women and filled with life lessons. Speculation at the time said that Marvel was still looking to make the film but on a budget of less than $100 million.

Marvel’s “Blade” is currently on the release calendar for Nov. 7, 2025.

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