Why The MCU's Blade Is In BIG Trouble
As was written up by TechRadar, following the news, reporter and industry insider Jeff Sneider tweeted out:
I’m told that the current BLADE script is roughly 90 pages and features exactly TWO (lackluster) action sequences. Mahershala said to be very frustrated with the process. Feige said to be spread too thin. But hey, that’s just what sources are telling me. Don’t shoot the messenger
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 28, 2022
Again, for a movie that’s just over a year away, this does not bode well, but let’s break down exactly what Sneider is hearing.
First up, trouble with the Blade script doesn’t sound that far fetched, as the project has gone through multiple writers over the years. THR reported that “the project has undergone several rounds of script rewrites” and that a new writer, Beau DeMayo, is currently penning a revision. DeMayo is no stranger to Marvel, having written for the Moon Knight series as well as the upcoming X-Men 97 animated show.
Hopefully, they’re adding more action scenes into the script because two, in a Blade movie, is not going to cut the mustard. One of the reasons the Blade movies - well, bar the third - are remembered so fondly today is because of their stunning action and wicked choreography. Fans are expecting at the very least the same attributes to be present in the MCU’s iteration - doubly so if it intends to strip out the gore to hit a PG-13 rating. Expectations in this area are high, and a lack of good action sequences will no doubt be disappointing for fans who are inevitably going to be comparing this flick to the Wesley Snipes originals.
Sneider also says that star Mahershala Ali is frustrated with the progress and again, that doesn’t sound that far fetched. Given the rewrites, the slow progress, tight deadlines and the fact that Ali was instrumental in picking the original director, he’s received plenty of knocks. There were also reports from Inside the Magic that a Blade cameo had been cut from the upcoming Werewolf by Night special, while Ali’s own first appearance as Blade came in a strange voice cameo at the end of Eternals. Not exactly red carpet material.
Finally, Sneider’s claims that Kevin Feige is spread too thin, unfortunately seem to support fans’ rising fears over the past year or two. The MCU was once a well-oiled machine, and while it had its issues, there was a general stamp of quality across all of the movies. Since moving into TV and increasing the volume of MCU content though, that level of quality has slowly been dipping.
Whether it’s reports of Marvel VFX teams being overworked and crunched, constant rewrites mid-filming, or just a general meh reception to what should have been fan-pleasing movies like Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of madness, some worry that the MCU is losing its magic. The announcement of Phase 5 and 6 and two new Avengers movies alleviated that worry somewhat, but another director departing a project that’s imminent suggests that the inner workings of how Marvel is operating might not have changed too much at all.