Marvel has confirmed a reboot of the Blade franchise at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige came out to rapturous applause at Hall H, the company’s traditional venue of choice, and made multiple announcements. And that announcement revealed the entire slate of films and Disney Plus shows that will form the line-up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s post-Endgame Phase Four. While also dropping some major hints about just where the now confirmed multiverse will be headed come Phase Five.
These included Feige’s cheeky admissions concerning the Fantastic Four and an untitled X-Men film, but it was another appearance that attracted the limelight.
Upon the conclusion of his Phase Four declarations, Feige invited to the stage Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali, famed for his work in films such as Moonlight and Green Book, who brought out with him a cap bearing the word ‘Blade.’ After which lights in Hall H were dimmed, and the thousands in the audience enthralled with a stylized title card of the revived franchise.
Feige didn’t dish out any additional details about the film, but a release date anytime before 2022 at the earliest is unlikely, considering that Phase Four will conclude with Thor: Love and Thunder in Winter, 2021.
We also don’t know whether Wesley Snipes will somehow be included in future plans, but we’re still in early days.
Snipes was, of course, the eponymous protagonist of the original Blade film series, which became a commercial success and among the more renowned superhero franchises of the time.
The series was set to continue beyond the first trilogy, although plans had to be abandoned due to Snipes’ off-screen problems with tax evasion, and forcing the studio to shelve Blade 4.
There have been several instances during the MCU run when talks of resuscitating the franchise have made headlines, often with Snipes involvement in the capacity of an executive producer, and Feige seems to have finally paid heed.
The MCU’s Phase Four will kickstart next year with the release of Black Widow.