Everyone’s favorite half-vampire is returning to theaters next year. Marvel Studios’ “Blade” will premiere Nov. 3, 2023.
The news was announced out of Marvel Studio’s Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday evening. The announcement carries a nice bit of symmetry, as the “Blade” reboot was first announced at the 2019 Comic-Con — the last time that fans gathered together in-person for a convention of this size.
Three years ago, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige surprised Hall H by bringing out Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. In an exceedingly coy move, all Ali did was put on “his own” hat with the “Blade” logo. Boom — a new Daywalker was born.
Since then the action film has bulked up its cast, adding Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo to the mix, though there’s no official word yet on their roles. Bassam Tariq is set to direct “Blade,” while Stacy Osei-Kuffour serves as screenwriter.
In addition to the release date, Feige also announced out of the panel that the film is set to begin shooting this October — fitting for one of the spookier heroes of the Marvel Universe.
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan in 1973 for the horror title “The Tomb of Dracula,” Blade is the alias of Eric Cross Brooks, a “dhampir,” or a being born between the union of a human and a vampire. With his unique abilities, Blade devotes his life to hunting vampires and other creatures of the night. Previously, the character was portrayed by Wesley Snipes in three feature films, some of the earliest comic book movies of the modern era.
For more information on upcoming Marvel projects, check out Variety’s regularly updating calendar of upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows and films.
More to come…