Marvel Studios Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot has had the most turbulent pre-production periods in the studio’s 15+ year history. After being announced at SDCC ’19, the film has seen multiple changes in its creative team cause production delays that set the film back well over a year. Just when it looked like they’d buttoned things up and were ready for cameras to roll, the WGA strike forced the production to go on hold. It seems all but certain now that the film will see yet another new release date but as fans wait on the next bit of news about the film, some interesting rumors have surfaced.
In the wake of the news of the film’s indefinite production delay, insider Daniel RPK has shared a good deal of information about the film’s new script and its cast. To start, it seems that over the course of rewrites on that film, actor Aaron Pierre‘s character, who was set to be the villain of the piece, was removed entirely. While there is no word on who Pierre was set to play, the film’s new villain is sire to generate some social media buzz.
It seems that rising scream queen Mia Goth, who only recently joined the film has been cast as Lilith. Interestingly enough, there are two villainous Lilith’s in the pages of Marvel Comics and it’s not readily clear which of those Goth will be playing. While one of the two is the daughter of Dracula and makes the most sense for a vampire film, the other Lilith is known as the Mother of Demons and would provide a much more nefarious threat…and plant a seed for a potential Midnight Sons crossover.
According to RPK, Goth won’t be the only antagonist in the film. When he was cast,any fans assumed that star Delroy Lindo was on board to play Blade ally and mentor Jamal Afari. It looks like the role of Afari will be filled by Saul Williams while Lindo is set to play Deacon Frost, the vampire who bit Blade’s mother while she was pregnant with him. The unique circumstances led to Blade’s unique hybrid Daywalker physiology.
Given the uncertainty around when the film could begin production, it may be some time before any more information about the film comes to light. At this point, it seems all but certain that the project will find itself released in 2025, 6 years after it was first announced.
