Marvel Studios upcoming reboot of Blade has had plenty of issues during early production, from reports of a “boring” script, a change of director and unrest with the cast. It seems though that a new synopsis for the vampire hunter’s MCU debut at least suggests that Blade’s original comic book origin will be carried into the movie franchise and not be rewritten like a number of others. With many dubious about how Blade can fit into the MCU, this could be a sign that the character will retain at least some of his known characterizations.
There are still very few details known about Blade’s arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the latest synopsis delivers a little more information about the character, who like many other Marvel characters will not be getting too much of an origin story on his debut. The new synopsis reads:
"He is known to be a vampire hunter— half-mortal, half-immortal— who tries to rid the world of vampires as a way of avenging his mother, who was killed by a vampire as she gave birth to him."
This is not exactly an in depth blow by blow account of the movie’s plot by any means, but with the film having been pushed back to a summer 2024 release it will be a few years before we get much more information about how Blade will fit into the MCU and what his purpose in the greater Marvel story will be.
Blade Changed Director as it Looked to Move to a Darker Tone.
There have always been questions around how characters like Blade can fit into the PG-13 universe of the MCU. While it is still to be seen if a more family friendly Blade will manage to satisfy comic book fans who are looking for a little more bite than they may end up getting, there have been plenty of signs that Blade will be looking to push the PG-13 rating to its limit. The directorial change from Bassam Tariq to Lovecraft Country’s Yann Demange was seemingly down to the movie’s shooting schedule no longer fitting with Tariq’s available, but the film was reportedly also looking to head down a darker route than originally planned.
Last year, a report noted that while the new iteration of Blade, to be played by Mahershala Ali, will not be as violent and dark as the Wesley Snipes movies of the 1990s, but it will be “the darkest thing the MCU has done so far.” While that could alleviate some worries from fans, someone who has no issues with Blade aiming for a lower classification is original star Snipes. Speaking about the new version of the character he said:
"I think those kind of stories lend themselves to a wide range of dialogue and situations. Both adult and young adult. I don't know, it seems like the R-rating and PG-13 base is sliding now because it seems that now the 13-year-olds can speak better words than the adults can. As long as it's true and organic to the subject matter, the plot, and the world that's created. If there's consistency, I think it's fine [to be PG-13]."
Blade is said to be filming this summer and currently aiming to hit cinemas on September 6, 2024.