*Disney has pulled Marvel’s “Blade” reboot, starring Mahershala Ali, from its release calendar.
Originally scheduled for November 7, 2025, the movie faced multiple delays and setbacks, including changes in directors, disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Variety reports. In its place, Disney will release “Predator: Badlands,” the latest installment in the sci-fi horror series, slated for early November 2025. The removal of “Blade” aligns with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent announcement that Marvel will limit its film releases to three per year.
When it was announced in 2019 that Ali was cast in the reboot film, original “Blade” star Wesley Snipes defended the Oscar winner from criticism on X (formally Twitter) when a user wrote that the “Moonlight” actor would “have a hard time outdoing” Snipes.
“He will do great,” Snipes wrote in response.
Snipes starred in three of the Blade movies: 1998’s “Blade,” 2002’s “Blade II,” and 2004’s “Blade: Trinity.” In 2021, Ali expressed excitement that the Hollywood icon approved of him taking over the role.
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“Man, you know, [I’m] humbled and so encouraged by that,” Ali said on an episode of The Breakfast Club. “Because he didn’t have to say that.”
“So, for him to come out and say that [as] somebody I look up to so much, I sincerely appreciated that,” he later added. “So, thank you, brother.”
Ali also noted that the role of Blade comes with “a lot of pressure.”
“I’m learning. It’s a lot of pressure, it’s a lot,” he said of starring in an MCU movie. “But other people have done it and survived and succeeded. So, I’m just going to try to set myself up to do the absolute best work I could do.”
In an interview with Uproxx, Snipes confirmed that he’s not involved in Marvel’s “Blade” revamp.
“I don’t have any involvement, but I support the young artists and I support Marvel in their business decisions,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing. I think it’s a heck of a job. He’s got a heck of a job on his hands.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Mahershala Ali is ‘Humbled’ After Wesley Snipes Approves ‘Blade’ Takeover
