Former MCU Blade Star Talks Delays, Character He Would’ve Played

As Marvel Studios‘ Blade reboot remains stuck in development hell, actor Delroy Lindo has opened up about his time working on the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.

Lindo was first reported to be in final negotiations to join the cast of Blade in November 2021. However, by June 2024, both Lindo and fellow cast member Aaron Pierre had exited the troubled production, with the 2023 Hollywood strikes reportedly being listed as a reason for their departures. While Pierre quickly bounced over to DC Studios and landed the role of John Stewart in Lanterns, Lindo has stayed away from the superhero genre, moving on to instead star in Ryan Coogler’s vampire movie Sinners.

What did Delroy Lindo say about Marvel Studios’ Blade?

While speaking recently with Entertainment Weekly to promote Sinners, Lindo opened up about his time attached to the long-gestating Blade reboot, which has been in development since 2019. “When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input,” the actor recalled. “And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails.”

While Lindo didn’t disclose who exactly he was set to play in the now-scrapped version of the Blade reboot, the actor shared that “there was a Marcus Garvey-esque component to who this man was shaping up to be. I’m not saying that it would’ve been an out-and-out Garvey-ite. Not that, but just in terms of how this man’s philosophy, his ethos, and what was driving him. He was a character who had, very similar to Sinners, created a community, a Black community. He was a character who was the head of this community.”

Blade continues to dodge cancellation rumors as it remains stuck in development at Marvel Studios. However, the studio is reportedly keen on getting the movie made, which has Mahershala Ali attached to star as the title character. According to Jeff Sneider, John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski is being eyed at Marvel to take over the project.

The Blade reboot remains undated at this time.