The upcoming reboot of the iconic half-vampire anti-hero Blade has been having quite a bit of trouble lately in terms of development. The film, set to star Mahershala Ali, had apparently been having script issues since 2022. Things got so bad that the original director quit the project. Ali himself apparently almost quit as well.



Now, an apparent insider via Variety claims that at least one version of the film was going to be a “female empowerment story” with Blade himself not being the focus, seemingly demonstrating how unfocused the production has been. One Marvel executive was apparently even fired due to keeping the troubled production a secret from Kevin Feige.

In what feels like an attempt to try and douse the flames the film’s current director, Yann Demange, says that the upcoming Blade reboot will be Rated R, becoming the second MCU film to have that rating after Deadpool 3.

In an interview via Deadline, the director stated:

“I come out of this wanting to be more open, more vulnerable and bring a more personal aspect to my work. But for Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala Ali is such a deep actor. I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen.“



This rating falls in line with the 1998 original film from New Line Cinema which starred Wesley Snipes. The film had blood & gore, foul language, and of course, some sexual themes. The same goes for Blade II in 2002 and Blade Trinity in 2004.

Hopefully, the film will be able to do justice to the original character and even please fans of the Wesley Snipes films. The current planned release is in early 2025.

Source: IGN