“Swap Keanu for Ali, hand him a sword”: Beau DeMayo’s Plan for Mahershala Ali’s Blade is Ridiculously Simple and That is What the Fans Want

SUMMARY

• Blade has faced multiple delays and is struggling to find direction, with the release date uncertain.
• Beau DeMayo suggested a simple, action-packed approach, likening it to John Wick but with vampires.
• Fans have shown strong support for DeMayo's straightforward idea, reflecting their frustration with the delays.

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Ever since Wesley Snipes debuted as the Vampire Slayer Blade in 1998, the character has become a favorite of many and the movies heralded as some of the best Marvel movies made before the MCU. So fans were genuinely looking up to the film when MCU announced its own Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali.

Mahershala Ali in Alita: Battle Angel | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Announced over 5 years ago, the film is nowhere close to development as it was back then. As per a recent report, it might even be as good as canceled. Amidst these unfortunate turns of events, ousted X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo has a plan for the film, and that is what fans want.

Beau DeMayo Has a Simple Plan to Get Mahershala Ali’s Blade Made

Beau DeMayo wants Marvel to make a John Wick-esque Blade movie | Credit: Lionsgate

Announced back at the SDCC 2019, Mahershala Ali‘s Blade movie is nowhere close to development. Having undergone several rewrites and changes, the film is yet again without a director after Yann Demange left the project within six months of joining it.

With such a tumultuous start, it seems unlikely the project will be able to release on its scheduled date of November 7, 2025. Furthermore, to make matters worse for the fans, the film is allegedly on the chopping floor, as reported by Murphy’s Multiverse recently.

As fans grapple with the possibility of the film being canceled and Marvel Studios continues to swim in dangerous waters, X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo has a ridiculously simple plan that could get Blade a kickstart.

Take a #JohnWick movie. Give mobsters fangs. Swap Keanu for Ali, hand him a sword, not a daughter who makes him fret over swinging the hero’s name. Wick cost 20 mill to make. Add 10 mill for vampire/Darkhold magic VFX, you have 30-40 mill Marvel movie.

This is what the former Marvel collaborator stated on X recently after the rumors of the project’s potential cancelation started spreading like wildfire within the Marvel fandom. Fans, who have been campaigning for the film since it was announced, agreed with DeMayo that this is what they want as well.

Marvel Fans Agree with Beau DeMayo’s Idea of a Blade Movie

Beau DeMayo | Credit: Instagram / @beau_demayo

Mahershala Ali was 45 when he was announced to be the star of the upcoming MCU’s Blade movie, and with how things are going he might as well be 55 when the film finally releases. Thanks to numerous production delays and more, his film seems unlikely to be made within the next year or more (see Variety).

While Marvel Studios is busy finding its perfect script for Blade, Beau DeMayo’s simple idea seems to have resonated with fans more than one anticipated. After his remark about making a John Wick-esque Blade film went viral, this is what fans had to say about it:

With so much on the line and no production data in sight, needless to say, the film will take potentially 2 or 3 years more to develop if Marvel Studios continues the way it has been going since the start. There is also a possibility that with Ali’s age, the film would fail to fish out a franchise as fans were expecting it to be.

As fans are already losing their interest in the film, perhaps the studio should really consider DeMayo’s idea since it is also what fans want after all.

Blade currently has a release date of November 7, 2025.

Written by Maria Sultan

Articles Published: 1629