Original ‘Blade’ Screenwriter Baffled by Marvel’s Fumbling of Mahershala Ali Reboot: ‘It’s Not Complicated’ | Video

Screenwriter David S. Goyer — known for superhero outings like “Batman Begins” and, yes, the original “Blade” trilogy — visited the”Happy Sad Confused” podcast Tuesday to talk about that first Christopher Nolan film’s 20th anniversary. But he also took a moment to take some shots at the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Blade struggling adaptation.

Host Josh Horowitz invited Goyer onto “Happy Sad Confused” to discuss the creation and legacy of the Batman origin film, but the host didn’t miss the chance to ask Goyer (who wrote the Wesley Snipes “Blade” trilogy and directed “Blade: Trinity” in 2004) why the MCU continues to struggle with its own adaptation of the daywalker.

“In my mind, I think Blade is a relatively simple story,” Goyer said. “It’s not complicated.”

You can watch the “Happy Sad Confused” episode below:

Goyer and Horowitz touched on the widely reported production issues on the MCU’s Mahershala Ali-starring “Blade” reboot, saying they don’t know where the difficulty comes from. Though Goyer thinks returning to the character would be a bad idea for him (Nolan cautioned Goyer against writing “Batman v. Superman” after his work on the “Dark Knight” trilogy), Goyer still said he’s “baffled” by the current situation.

“What is the promise of the movie?” he asked. “The promise of ‘Blade,’ a new ‘Blade,’ is that it should have insane ass-kicking, it should be pretty scary, might be R-rated, and it doesn’t have to be — it should not be complicated.”

No project in the MCU has suffered such a public stay in development hell as “Blade.” Kevin Feige first announced “Blade” at Comic-Con in 2019, sending the crowd into applause as two-time Oscar winner Ali walked onstage wearing a “Blade” hat. At the same panel, Feige discussed a number of MCU films and series — including “WandaVision,” “Eternals” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — all of which have since been released. Just before he announced “Blade,” Feige said he “didn’t even have time to talk about the Fantastic Four,” which will release in theaters next month.

Since this date, “Blade” faced a number of complications and setbacks in the pre-production phase. The COVID pandemic and Hollywood strikes contributed to the delays. In the nearly six years since the announcement, “Blade” has lost two directors, worked through multiple scripts and parted with cast members such as Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre. In October 2024, Disney removed “Blade” from its slate.

Aside from a brief voice cameo at the end of “Eternals,” Ali has yet to appear as Blade in the MCU. A new “Blade” film would now mark the fifth time the character has appeared on theater screens. This follows the original “Blade” trilogy and Snipes’ performance as the daywalker in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Snipes’ Blade seemingly takes a shot at the reboot, saying, “There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.”

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