Marvel’s ‘Blade’ Reboot Is Reportedly Being Made With a Budget of Less Than $100 Million
There may not be a film more emblematic of the current state of The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) than the planned Blade reboot.
The film was originally announced in 2019 with Mahershala Ali cast as the title character.
Since that time, however, the film has gone through a troubled production that has seen its release date pushed back from November 3, 2023, to September 6, 2024.
A Troubled Production
Original director Bassam Tariq left the project in 2022, shortly before Blade was scheduled to start filming. He was eventually replaced by director Yann Demange.
In total, the Blade reboot has now cycled through five different writers and two directors. Meanwhile, rumors have circulated that Ali could leave the project after being frustrated with the script.
A new bombshell report by Variety has revealed that one version of the script bumped Ali down to the fourth lead. This script, reportedly instead told a story led by a woman and “filled with life lessons”.
Going back to the drawing board, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige hired Michael Green, the Oscar-nominated writer of Logan, to breathe fresh life into the project.
‘Blade’ Now Has a Minuscule Budget
After production was shut down once again due to the onset of the WGA strike, speculation around Hollywood is the Blade may not debut until 2025.
Even more surprising, is the fact that, according to Variety, Blade will have a budget of less than $100 million.
The small budget would be a radical change for Marvel, which consistently shells out over $200 million making its films.
Due to constant delays and behind-the-scenes drama, Blade has gone from a promising MCU introduction for a character that already has proven successful at the box office, to a troubled production that will be lucky to see the light of day.
Work on Blade will continue now that the WGA strike has ended. With the status of Marvel Studios, however, who knows when we will see the vampire hunter enter the MCU.