*The Marvel Comics superhero Blade’s path back to big screen solo adventures has been a series of ups and mostly downs. And Marvel Studios’ decision to pull it’s reboot of the ‘Blade’ franchise from its 2025 release calendar hasn’t made things any better.
Although solid information about future plans for the Blade character are a mystery, one of the actors previously attached to the long-delayed project is speaking on the bad luck that has plagued it since it was announced in 2019.
Citing a recent interview Delroy Lindo did with Entertainment Weekly to promote his latest film “Sinners,” Deadline reports the “Romeo Must Die” alum recalled his experience with Marvel as the “Blade” remake was coming together. Despite it “leading into being very inclusive” the venture strayed in a major way, with Lindo stating it “just went off the rails.”
“When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input,” the Da 5 Bloods star 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.”
Once word leaked of Lindo’s involvement in the “Blade” reboot in 2021, speculation stirred regarding what character he would playing. Lindo didn’t make any revelations, but he did spill that he was supposed to portray a “Marcus Garvey-esque” type persona.
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“I’m not saying that it would’ve been an out-and-out Garvey-ite. Not that, but just in terms of how this man’s philosophy, his ethos and what was driving him. He was a character who had, very similar to Sinners, created a community, a Black community. He was a character who was the head of this community,” he explained.
Lindo’s comments mark the latest development surrounding the Blade revive. Over the last few years, the film fell victim to natural causes in its delays, with the pandemic and dual industry strikes. In addition, once promising talent came and went, including initially aligned filmmakers Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) and Yann Demange (Lovecraft Country).
Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali signed on to star as Blade. Aside from an uncredited voice cameo as the character in a post-credits scene from Marvel’s “Eternals.”
The Green Book” fixture’s presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been minimal. Blade turned up years later in 2024’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” but it was Wesley Snipes, who originally portrayed the Daywalker on film, that appeared in the role.
Although nothing seems to be moving upward for Blade’s feature film return, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige admitted he remains “committed” to Ali’s version of the character, adding that everyone is “up to date on what’s going on. But I can tell you that the character will be coming to the MCU.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: Delroy Lindo, Omar Miller & Li Jun Li Talk Legacy, Loss, and Horror in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ | EURexclusiveWATCH
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