The much-anticipated Blade movie seems to have reached a dead end, leaving fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) disappointed. The project, which promised to bring Mahershala Ali into the fold as the iconic Daywalker, has faced numerous obstacles and now appears to be permanently stalled.

This week, rapper and artist Flying Lotus took to X / Twitter to share his involvement in the project, revealing that he was set to compose the music for the film before it fell through. "I guess we are so far from it even being a possibility now but. Yeah I was signed on to write music for the new BLADE movie before it fell thru," he tweeted. Despite his hopes that the project might revive, Flying Lotus expressed doubts, stating, "Maybe it'll come around again but I doubt it. Would have been fun tho."

Adding to the string of disappointments, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, during her appearance on The John Campea Show, confirmed her involvement in Blade before its collapse. She revealed that the film was to be set in the 1920s, a setting that would have offered a rich canvas for unique costume and production design.

Further compounding the bad news, actor Delroy Lindo, who was slated to star alongside Ali, shared his experiences with Entertainment Weekly. "When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input," he said. "And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails."

Blade was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with an initial release planned for November of this year. The film has seen a carousel of directors, including Yann Demange and Bassam Tariq, yet none have stayed with the project long enough to see it through.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

View 18 Images

Despite the turmoil, it's been only six months since Blade was removed from Marvel's release schedule in October 2024, and no new release date has been confirmed. However, in a glimmer of hope, MCU boss Kevin Feige expressed the studio's ongoing commitment to the project. "We are committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You're all up to date on what's happening," he told Omelete in November 2024. "But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU."