Marvel’s ‘Blade’ Delayed by Writers Strike

Marvel’s ‘Blade’ release has been delayed due to a writers’ strike.

According to an individual familiar with the production, the upcoming “Blade” movie by Marvel Studios, featuring Mahershala Ali as the lead, has been put on hold. This is the first significant movie production affected by the current writer’s strike.

The movie was supposed to start filming in Atlanta next month and was in pre-production. On Friday afternoon, the shutdown was communicated to the cast and crew members, and production will remain halted until the end of the strike.

The movie “Blade” has been delayed for the second time. Initially, it was supposed to be released in November, but now it has been rescheduled to release in September 2024. In September of last year, the project’s original director, Bassam Tariq, left two months before the production started. Yann Demange was hired in November to work on the project. Recently, the studio brought on new talent, such as Mia Goth joining the cast and Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of “True Detective,” now writing a revised version of the script by Michael Starrbury.

Despite facing unfortunate circumstances, “Blade” maintains its position as one of the few Marvel Studios productions currently affected by the strike. Other Marvel productions are scheduled to begin or continue filming during this time. Now, “Captain America: New World Order,” “Agatha: Coven of Chaos,” and “Wonder Man” are being filmed, while “Deadpool 3” and “Thunderbolts” are scheduled to start production later this month and in June, respectively.

Marvel usually plans release dates well in advance and often writes on the go, unlike other popular movies that evolve their scripts during production. This approach could bring some challenges if the writers’ strike lasts longer. Marvel is actively seeking actors for the upcoming movie “Fantastic Four,” which will be filmed in London starting in January 2024.

According to the strike rules, members of the WGA who are also part of another guild (known as “hyphenates”) are not allowed to do any writing work on a project, even if they are working in a different capacity. The services covered by the WGA contract, which non-writers can perform on WGA-covered shows, include tasks such as cutting scenes or making minor changes to dialogue during production, which are commonly referred to as “(a) through (h)” services. Earlier this week, showrunners at Disney and HBO received a letter reminding them of their responsibilities, causing some of them to face a dilemma.

On Tuesday, the 2023 Writers Strike started because the guild and AMPTP couldn’t agree on a new minimum bargaining agreement. Since the two sides are far apart, the strike will likely continue for some time. Late-night shows have stopped airing, and many TV shows have paused their writer’s rooms.