Summary
- Marvel Studios planned to reboot Blade with Mahershala Ali playing the titular character.
- Delroy Lindo's role in the project was not disclosed, but he said he was to play an "exciting" character.
- Lindo teased an "exciting" concept for his character that included a "Marcus Garvey-esque component."
Marvel Studios planned to reboot Blade. One of the actors attached to the project shared some details about their "exciting" role amid rumors that the project was already shelved quietly.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige officially announced the new Blade movie at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con with Mahershala Ali playing the lead role. Several actors were also announced as part of the project, including Delroy Lindo, Aaron Pierre and Mia Goth. However, the film has undergone multiple changes, including the director in charge. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli, Ghosts of Sugar Land) was initially attached to helm the film, but French director Yann Demange (White Boy Rick, Dammi) replaced him. However, Demange also departed from the project in June 2024. There are rumors that Blade has been quietly canceled after it was removed from Marvel Studios' 2025 release calendar. Marvel hasn't officially announced whether the project is canceled or not, but one of the stars said it "went off the rails."
RUMOR: Marvel Studios Has Quietly Canceled This Highly-Anticipated Movie
Marvel Studios has reportedly decided to cancel one of its most anticipated MCU films, but the character might be introduced in another project.
Lindo's casting for Blade was announced in November 2021. However, his role was not disclosed. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, he recounted how Marvel approached him for the role. According to him, they were "really interested" in his idea. He even met with the producers, writer and director to discuss his part. Their conversations reportedly led to "being very inclusive." He was thrilled to be part of the project and even teased that it had an "exciting" concept, but that was before it got sidetracked. He said:
It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. For whatever reason, it just went off the rails.
Lindo didn't reveal his character in Blade. However, he teased that "there was a Marcus Garvey-esque component to who this man was shaping up to be." Garvey is a Jamaican political activist who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which aimed to achieve Black nationalism and celebrate African history and culture. Lindo added that his character shared Garvey's philosophy and ethos because he created and led a Black community.
Lindo keeping his role undisclosed is not surprising because it's typical Marvel fashion. MCU stars usually deny their next project or keep their role under wraps until the studio officially announces it. For instance, less than two weeks before Marvel announced the cast for Avengers: Doomsday, Paul Rudd was asked if he was part of the Russo brothers' upcoming Avengers movies. He said they had his number without disclosing whether he was among the cast members. His Death of a Unicorn co-star Jenna Ortega was impressed by how he handled the question, joking that Marvel stars were trained to handle such inquiries. Over a week later, Rudd was among the names Marvel released as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast.
As for who Lindo could play in the film that's still in limbo, he could possibly portray Jamal Afari, a Black jazz musician and vampire hunter who took Blade under his wing when the latter was still a child. He trained him to be a skilled vampire hunter just like him. He is very influential in Blade's skills and worldview. Lindo fits the age, presence and gravitas to portray a mentor figure. However, he wasn't a leader of a Black community. But this could be something that Marvel could add for the reboot. Or they could design a new character for Lindo just for the film. This isn't new because they had already created several characters not from the comics, like Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis, who debuted in Thor (2011) and appeared on Disney Plus' WandaVision. Zendaya's Michelle Jones-Watson in Tom Holland's Spider-Man movie series was also not pulled from the comics directly. So, the MCU could create a new character for Lindo, someone with the "Garvey-esque component." Blade hasn't been officially canceled, but Marvel hasn't announced an official release date after its removal from the 2025 release calendar.
Source: Entertainment Weekly