Marvel’s new Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali is moving forward, and here’s everything we know about the MCU film’s release date, cast, and story.

The new Blade movie is one of the most anticipated entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the Daywalker’s return has already faced obstacles. Wesley Snipes famously played Eric Brooks in three Blade movies starting in the late 1990s, finishing with 2004 flop Blade: Trinity. Years later, at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made the surprise announcement that an MCU Blade reboot was in development. Mahershala Ali will play Marvel’s Daywalker in the MCU timeline, and the new Blade movie will be a total revamp of the franchise without Wesley Snipes.

Marvel’s new Blade movie is one of a handful of previously non-Disney IPs that will get MCU debuts in the next few years, including Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024 and Marvel’s Fantastic Four in 2025. Originally slated for a 2023 release date, Blade has had several delays and is currently still in pre-production. The first promo materials such as a logo and casting news for the upcoming MCU movie have been revealed, and new Blade news is trickling through from time to time. Here’s everything that’s known about the MCU Blade movie so far.

MCU’s Blade Movie: Latest News

After Kevin Feige let slip that the new Blade movie was aiming to begin filming in Summer 2023 (via CBR), it was reported the shoot was put on pause due to the Writers Guild of America strike that commenced on May 2. Although some Marvel productions, like Deadpool & Wolverine, continued filming during the WGA strike, they were additionally paused when SAG-AFTRA began striking on July 14. As the strikes are currently ongoing, it’s unclear when Blade may begin filming ahead of its 2025 release date.

MCU’s Blade Movie Is Confirmed

The MCU Blade reboot is confirmed to be part of Phase 6, following its delay which moved it from being the last release in MCU Phase 5. Following the MCU regaining the rights to the character, there was constant speculation about whether the vampire hunter would be brought into the cinematic universe.

Finally, it was confirmed along with other upcoming MCU projects at Marvel’s Comic-Con 2019 panel appearance that the movie was in the works as Mahershala Ali came to the stage to close out the Marvel presentation. Though there have been more delays and production issues than most MCU projects, the continued production updates confirm that this long-awaited movie is still very much on the way.

MCU’s Blade Movie: Release Date

Initially, the MCU Blade reboot was scheduled for a 2023 release date, though it was later pushed back to 2024, and then into 2025. In June 2023, Disney announced several Marvel movie delays, which included Blade among other Phase 5 and 6 films. Currently, the new Blade movie release date is November 7, 2025. This release date was announced just after the SAG-AFTRA strikes concluded, meaning this place in the schedule should hopefully prove to be the final one for the movie.

MCU’s Blade Movie: Cast

The cast of the MCU Blade reboot will be led by Mahershala Ali. After Ali’s Oscar-winning roles in Moonlight and Green Book, as well as his stint in Luke Cage as Cornell Stokes/Cottonmouth, the actor approached Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige to express his interest in playing Eric Brooks in the MCU.

Marvel didn’t have plans to make Blade at the time, but Ali’s talent and interest made it easy for Feige to change that. Ali won’t be alone in the movie, though, as Marvel has found a great collection of co-stars. The new Blade movie cast includes Mia Goth (Pearl), Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad), all of whom have joined in unknown roles.

Characters introduced in Werewolf By Night such as Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), Man-Thing, or Jack Russell (the titular werewolf, played by Gael García Bernal) could also show up, since they’re part of the world of Marvel monsters the Daywalker walks in. The vampire heads on the wall in Werewolf By Night were a strong hint here.

Additionally, there’s the potential for Ali to be joined by other MCU characters like Midnight Sons members Moon Knight or Doctor Strange (played by Oscar Isaac and Benedict Cumberbatch respectively). One MCU actor who’s confirmed not to appear is Kit Harington after he revealed there were never any plans for Dane Whitman to be in Blade despite the Eternals post-credits scene setting up a connection between the characters.

MCU’s Blade Movie: Story Details

Story details for the MCU Blade reboot have yet to be revealed or even teased. It will likely involve pieces of Blade’s origin and how he became a vampire slayer, but the majority of the movie will presumably follow Eric as an established and experienced hunter. This would allow the film to answer where Blade has been throughout the MCU’s history. Blade‘s actual story will likely depend on which of his many supernatural villains Marvel makes him fight in his first film.

The 2022 Disney+ Halloween special Werewolf By Night introduced what some of these threats could be, and established that monsters, including vampires, have been around in the MCU for centuries. While this isn’t a massive spoiler in and of itself, it does mean Marvel has the scope to skip Eric Brooks’ origin story entirely, jumping straight into him being an established vampire slayer for Blade.

More recent history has seen a rise in theories and rumors that Blade will introduce the Midnight Sons to the MCU – a notable superhero team generally unified by their dark supernatural gifts. While this seems more viable with the impending introduction of Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine – given his high-profile nature would give Midnight Sons the extra star-power they ideally need – based on Bob Iger’s MCU plan updates including a focus on “leaning a little bit more into sequels and franchises“, it’s not clear if this would be strictly possible going forward, as the group are one of Marvel’s arguably lesser known.

Blade Already Made His MCU Debut In Eternals

The MCU’s new Blade movie was heavily teased when Mahershala Ali’s Eric Brooks warns Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman about using the Ebony Blade in the Eternals post-credits scene. Although Ali’s voice is only featured in the cameo, it is technically the first appearance for the Daywalker in an actual MCU movie. More importantly, this scene from Eternals provides clues about what could happen and what connections could be established in Blade.

Also known in Marvel Comics as the dark counterpart to the legendary Excalibur, the Ebony Blade confers godlike abilities at the cost of magnifying the wielder’s bloodlust. Importantly, this means both the sword and the wielder growing more powerful with each fresh kill.

While the Ebony Blade is dangerous enough in the hands of Dane Whitman aka The Black Knight – whose Arthurian bloodline means he is essentially immortal while holding the sword – the weapon could be even deadlier if it’s wielded alongside the Daywalker. It’s possible Blade’s history with the Ebony Blade could be established in his solo movie, diving further into his connection to it in a way that doesn’t necessitate Dane Whitman appearing in the film.

The MCU Blade reboot could also be part of the setup for the MCU’s take on Midnight Sons, a team-up that in Marvel Comics also includes Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Moon Knight, Morbius, and Doctor Strange. In short, there are a number of ways for Blade to carve out a unique new niche in the MCU’s ongoing storylines, with plenty of room for many other long-anticipated Marvel characters to make their MCU debut. Curiously, Eric Brooks’ interest in the Ebony Blade implies that the Daywalker may have a huge role not just in Midnight Sons, but potentially even in the next Avengers team-up.

Apart from being able to slice through anything except the wielder, the Ebony Blade can open portals to other dimensions, similar to America Chavez’s powers in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This is only possible if the wielder of the Ebony Blade gives in to the bloodlust and allows the sword to take over their soul, which already sounds like the perfect way for the vampire hunter to start carving his way through his enemies in Blade.