Even though it seems obvious at this point, sad as that may be, Marvel’s long gestating “Blade” reboot has officially lost its release date. The film, which is due to star Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight,” “True Detective”) was previously set to hit theaters on November 7, 2025. That’s no longer happening, leaving the project on uncertain ground. There is some good news, however, as Disney has opted to give that release date to something both deserving and exciting.
Disney has now officially given “Prey” director Dan Trachtenberg’s new “Predator” movie “Predator: Badlands” the November 7, 2025 release date previously reserved for “Blade.” That means this one will get a theatrical release, unlike “Prey,” which was dumped directly to Hulu in 2022. That release strategy has long been viewed as a mistake by Disney as the film was met with rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. It presumably would have done big business at the box office, even in the pandemic era. It seems as though Disney does not intend to make the same mistake twice.
Meanwhile, “Blade” has now been indefinitely removed from Disney’s release schedule. Earlier this year, Yann Demange (“White Boy Rick”) departed the director’s chair, becoming the second director to exit the reboot. Ali was first announced as our new Blade way back in 2019 during San Diego Comic-Con. The film has been met with numerous setbacks in the years since that announcement. As it stands, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will now see three movies arrive in 2025, including “Captain America: Brave New World” in February, “Thunderbolts” in May, and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in July.
Predator moves forward, Blade remains stalled out
It is becoming increasingly difficult to believe that a “Blade” movie starring Ali will ever see the light of day. The development process has been so difficult and has seen so many changes occur that Ali reportedly almost walked away from the project at one point already. He has reserved a lot of time to make this movie happen with nothing to show for it. When he joined the cast of “Jurassic World Rebirth” earlier this year, it seemed like he had finally stopped waiting around for Marvel to figure this whole thing out.
In the meantime, audiences got to see Wesley Snipes return as Blade in this year’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” That reignited a lot of love for that version of the character, which helped make Marvel a bankable brand theatrically when the first “Blade” hit theaters in 1998. Given the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” it might be better to wait a little while before proceeding with the reboot anyhow.
As for “Predator,” things seem to be trending in the right direction. As mentioned, “Prey” was a huge success, even if it was also a missed opportunity in some ways. Trachtenberg is now returning to direct “Badlands,” which has Elle Fanning (“The Great,” “Maleficent”) starring in the lead role. Plot details remain under wraps at this time but the film won’t be a sequel to “Prey” and, instead, will take place in a new setting with a different set of characters.
Look for “Predator: Badlands” in theaters starting on November 7, 2025.
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