MarvelBlog News for June 16th, 2024

Marvel’s Blade plans come into focus thanks to…an entirely different project altogether?!

I’ll explain in MarvelBlog News.

Why Blade Needs to Happen

Longtime readers of this blog have been hearing about Blade since the beginning.

I wish I were being hyperbolic, but I’m not. In 2019, Marvel confirmed that Mahershala Ali would star in a Blade film.

That was five years ago, but Blade still hasn’t filmed yet. In fact, it’s currently undergoing yet another rewrite.

Presumed stars of the film such as Aaron Pierre and Kit Harington have learned that they’re not in it now.

On Thursday, Pajiba ran a headline of “’Blade’ Loses Another Director, And Fans Are Losing Their Patience.”

So, that’s how well the entire project has gone thus far. For my part, I’ve loudly wondered how long Ali will stay attached to this project.

I mean, the El Muerto debacle with Bad Bunny occurred years after Blade’s announcement, and that actor quit more than a year ago.

We’re currently watching the elongated version of that fiasco, but we recently learned why Marvel remains committed to this project.

Spoiler: it’s not about Blade. Well, it’s not just about Blade, which is already a known film commodity.

Wesley Snipes’s three Blade movies earned $415 million against financial outlays of just $164 million.

More importantly, all three titles proved wildly successful on home video and ran indefinitely on cable networks.

In short, Marvel monetized the projects effectively and expects to do the same with a new Blade release.

First somebody has to make the stupid film, though, and that date just fell back a bit.

Director Yann Demange’s removal from the project means that Blade is back to square one…yet again.

Not Just a Video Game

At some point, you have to wonder why Ali and Marvel haven’t just thrown in the towel about a seemingly doomed project.

The answer is apparently that Marvel wants to film Blade and a semi-sequel nearly back to back.

You’re probably wondering what that second film is, and it’s one I’ve previously mentioned as a possibility.

Apparently, the Midnight Suns are coming to the MCU!

Video gamers just got a tingle, while diehard comic book fans wondered whether they’d experienced a fever dream.

Let’s just say that when fans have discussed potential superhero team-ups in Marvel movies, the Midnight Suns don’t come up often.

However, the 2022 video game proved popular enough for what it is, a tactical role-playing game with lucrative DLC options.

For non-gamers, DLC is the post-release paid content people buy to extend the lifespan of a game.

With Midnight Suns, which didn’t sell well at first, Marvel added characters like Deadpool and Morbius as DLC.

I’ll let you guess which of those two sold better, but the characters themselves hint at the story of Midnight Suns.

This part of the Marvel universe embraces the mystical side of storytelling.

Most of the characters are either supernatural in some way or break the fourth wall to acknowledge the ridiculousness of it all.

Famous Midnight Suns characters include Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, and…Blade.

So, the stubbornness regarding a Blade standalone movie suddenly makes more sense.

Marvel has a plan to integrate its mystical forces together on the same superhero team.

Since you’re probably wondering about it, let’s talk about the potential members of the Midnight Suns…

Who Is a Sun?

Let’s start with the surprising part of this story. Blade is NOT the leader of the Midnight Suns, presuming nothing changes.

Apparently, the Daywalker doesn’t possess the temperament of a team leader.

Instead, that honor belongs to the Sorcerer Supreme, which makes perfect sense.

As you should remember, that is NOT Doctor Strange, though! Yes, rumors suggest that Wongers will lead the team!

I have no idea whether this means Madisynn will appear in Midnight Suns, but you have to think she would, right?

She was the breakout star of She-Hulk even though she was only in one episode.

Marvel fans want that character to gain a backstory and presumably have a romance with Wongers, too.

So, there is a lot of storyline potential just between the two, presuming she appears.

Then, we have other possibilities like Ghost Rider, Hulk, Storm, Wolverine…and Scarlet Witch.

Wanda Maximoff remains in high demand throughout the MCU, but this is a team where she would make the most sense.

Her recent meltdown opens the door for a rehab here, but Marvel may save those stories for Vision Quest and Agatha All Along.

Another tantalizing possibility is Moon Knight, a character that has developed a loyal following since the Disney+ series.

Then, we have some intriguing characters from a standalone Marvel episode.

In the comics, Elsa Bloodstone is a member of the Midnight Suns, as are Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing.

Impressively, Marvel has set the table for a superhero team-up gradually over the years.

To a larger point, the idea of Midnight Suns explains why Marvel and Ali have remained so committed to Blade…despite everything.

Marvel Miscellany

We’ve got a couple more items to cover this week, one of which I’m not even sure I believe.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Taylor Swift is definitively not in Deadpool & Wolverine.

A lot of rumors came out around the same time suggesting that she was, but I sincerely doubt Marvel would be bold enough to cut her scenes.

So, either those rumors were bogus, or Entertainment Weekly has gotten the story wrong. We’ll see…

In more certain Marvel news, Wonder Man will feature ten episodes, making it one of the longer Disney+ series to date.

Finally, in understandable news that’s kind of a bummer, Kevin R. Wright has left Marvel.

The executive producer of Loki is leveraging the outstanding quality of that series to become an independent producer.

He’s leaving the comfort of the Marvel umbrella to go it alone, which is risky but potentially financially lucrative.

While working for Marvel, his earning potential was limited.

Now, he can break the bank by creating something as popular as Loki for a different studio.

 

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Featured image: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Shutterstock (10341985al)