Marvel's 'Blade' Starring Mahershala Ali Delayed Due To Writers' Strike

Due to the ongoing writers' strike, Marvel has shut down pre-production on the superhero reboot, which is set to star Mahershala Ali as the titular vampire hunter alongside Aaron Pierre, Delroy Lindo and Mia Goth.

Production was expected to start in Atlanta within the month for an anticipated September 6, 2024 release. Marvel Studios first announced it was reviving 'Blade' after Wesley Snipes originated the character on screen in a feature film trilogy from 1998 to 2004 - at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, reports 'Variety'.

This isn't the first time Disney has had to delay production on the film. Last October, Disney pushed 'Blade' from a 2023 release to 2024 after the original director, Bassam Tariq ('Mogul Mowgli'), left the project two months before filming was set to begin.

In November, Yann Demange ('Lovecraft Country') took over directing duties from a script by Michael Starrbury 'When They See Us'. In April, just weeks before the WGA contract deadline, Nic Pizzolatto ('True Detective') joined the production, re-writing from Starrbury's screenplay. He ran out of time to complete his work before the strike began.

'Blade' will start again once the strike has concluded, though that timing may be further complicated by looming labor talks with SAG-AFTRA and the DGA this summer.

Pre-production on another 2024 Marvel release, 'Thunderbolts', has not been affected by the strike, and the studio has several other projects in various stages of production, including 2024 features 'Captain America: New World Order' and 'Deadpool 3" and upcoming Disney+ series 'Agatha: Coven of Chaos', 'Daredevil: Born Again' and 'Wonder Man'.