MCU’s Most Cursed Movie Just Got The Update Fans Have Been Waiting For

After months of radio silence on Marvel Studios' Blade, we finally got a pulse check. It is not a release date, not a filming start, but it is something real from someone who tends to know what's going on.

"It's taking a minute because they wanted to push it back into the next saga. It will come to fruition; don't you worry about that. As for directing, Fede Alvarez or Dan Trachtenberg."

That comes from insider Alex Perez in The Cosmic Circus' November Q&A. No calendar updates, but two clear signals: Blade is still alive inside Marvel, and the plan is to position it in the next MCU saga, not where it was originally meant to land. The source text floating around mentions Phase Four, which is obviously not where Blade was slotted, so read that as shorthand for "not in the current run" rather than a literal Phase mapping.

So where does that leave Blade?

Originally, Marvel had circled November 2025. That is not happening. With the studio reshuffling a bunch of dates across the board, Blade is now considered a later play, likely not arriving before 2028. The director chatter Perez name-dropped is interesting: Fede Alvarez ('Don't Breathe,' 'Alien: Romulus') or Dan Trachtenberg ('Prey'). Both are strong picks if you want tension, atmosphere, and grounded action over quippy spectacle.

Why this project has been such a grind

Since Marvel announced Blade back in 2019, it has been a revolving door of writers and directors. Bassam Tariq exited in 2022 just weeks before cameras were supposed to roll, which triggered more rewrites and a creative reset toward a more mature, horror-forward take. In 2024, Beau DeMayo teased a new Marvel gig, and fans quickly theorized he might be part of the Blade fix.

Through all of it, Mahershala Ali has stayed attached and, reportedly, hands-on. CBR ran a piece noting he pushed for script changes to lock down a consistent tone and his vision for the character. The delays piled up enough that people started assuming the worst. Perez's update is the clearest sign yet that Marvel has not scrapped it, but let's be honest: until production restarts, it's development limbo, not revival.

What Marvel seems to be angling for

Punting Blade to the next saga suggests Marvel wants the Daywalker to help define a darker corner of the universe rather than just slide in as a late addition now. The studio has been testing those waters with 'Werewolf by Night' and 'Moon Knight,' but Blade would be the first full dive into supernatural horror inside the MCU framework. Ali has already said the reboot will skew darker than your typical Marvel entry, more in the vein of the late-90s Wesley Snipes trilogy than the usual fireworks. If that sticks, Blade could slot nicely alongside Doctor Strange and open the door to moodier crossovers — yes, even something Midnight Sons-adjacent — which makes the delay at least strategically understandable.

How we got here, fast version

• 2019: Marvel announces Blade with Mahershala Ali.
• 2022: Director Bassam Tariq leaves weeks before filming; rewrites and a darker creative pivot follow.
• Originally aimed for November 2025; that date slipped as Marvel reshuffled multiple releases.
• 2024: Writer-producer Beau DeMayo hints at a new Marvel project, prompting Blade speculation.
• Now: Perez says Blade is being pushed to the next saga and mentions Fede Alvarez or Dan Trachtenberg as names in the mix. No new start date. Realistically, do not expect it before 2028.

Bottom line: Blade is not dead. It is not moving, either — yet. If Marvel actually leans into the horror vibe and brings in a director who lives in that space, the wait might pay off. You willing to hang in there for a 2028-ish Daywalker debut, or has the long stall cooled you off?