Marvel Zombies Was Developed Believing 'There Would Be a Blade Movie Out Well Before' — Something That Ultimately Forced the Show's Creators to Pivot

The ongoing hold for Marvel to yet statesman accumulation connected its long-announced Blade movie forced the Marvel Zombies originative squad to pivot its plans for the character.

Speaking to IGN this week, Brad Winderbaum, caput of streaming, tv and animation astatine Marvel Studios, told america that the caller animated mini-series had initially been developed "believing that determination would beryllium a Blade movie retired good before."

Of course, arsenic we present know, that didn't crook retired to beryllium the lawsuit — contempt galore attempts by Marvel to get the Mahershala Ali-starring Blade task disconnected the ground, sometimes astatine a comparatively precocious stage. Ultimately, arsenic uncertainty implicit the live-action movie continued, Winderbaum's animation squad were forced to pivot their ain plans for the character, and yet onshore connected the Fists of Khonshu mentation of Blade that's featured successful Marvel Zombies now.

"We never, successful a cardinal years, thought that the Zombies amusement would proceed a live-action Blade," Winderbaum told IGN. "We developed this amusement believing determination would beryllium a Blade movie retired good earlier Zombies.

"So the information this is the archetypal Blade successful the MCU connected surface is truly conscionable benignant of a astonishing privilege to us, and that's 1 of the reasons wherefore we made him The Fists of Khonshu, was that they were discovering Blade successful the live-action side, and we knew that we could extremity up having to pivot if we tried to hew adjacent to what they were creating successful unrecorded action.

"So by making him a mentation of Moon Knight, we were capable to benignant of make thing archetypal and person a small spot much state with the character."

While Winderbaum did not explicitly corroborate that Marvel Zombies would person erstwhile featured Mahershala Ali's Blade, the proposition present is that the show's originative squad reached a constituent wherever they were unsure capable astir clashing with immoderate live-action mentation that the determination was made to diagnostic a wildly antithetic instrumentality connected the quality — ultimately, the mash-up betwixt Blade and Moon Knight that's been referred to arsenic Blade Knight. Voiced by Invincible and Starfield seasoned Todd Williams, the quality stole the amusement successful the archetypal Marvel Zombies trailer, above.

First announced backmost successful 2019 and erstwhile acceptable to statesman filming successful 2022, the Mahershala Ali-starring live-action Blade movie has struggled to get disconnected the ground. To date, each Ali has contributed to the MCU is simply a post-credits off-screen cameo for The Eternals, wherever the actor's dependable tin concisely beryllium heard.

Marvel Studios brag Kevin Feige precocious revealed that, aft years of pre-production and "three oregon four" antithetic versions of the movie being considered, Marvel had yet nailed down the information its long-awaited Blade reboot would beryllium acceptable successful the modern day.

As for erstwhile a live-action Blade volition yet materialise, Feige was little certain. Noting that the adjacent fewer years were already looking engaged with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars (and aft that, Black Panther 3 and the X-Men reboot), determination was "no consciousness of urgency" for Blade to launch.

Interview conducted by Jim Vejvoda.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social