Disney Replaces Blade on Release Schedule with New Predator Movie

This might be the final stake in the heart for Marvel’s Blade. Previously scheduled for release on November 7, 2025, the Mahershala Ali vampire film has been removed from Disney’s release schedule. In its place is Predator: Badlands, the spiritual follow-up to Prey from director Dan Trachtenberg.

In addition, Marvel dated three new movies for 2028: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028;, and November 10, 2028.

So let’s take these one by one. Pretty much everyone had a sense that Blade was not making its 2025 release date. Marvel already has three films coming out in 2025 (Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, The Fantastic Four: First Steps), all of which are well into production. Blade, as you may remember, lost its latest director Yann Demange back in June, which wasn’t the first time that happened.

Being taken off the release schedule is never a good thing but it’s not necessarily the kiss of death. Sony did something similar with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and obviously that’s happening. It just means more time is needed. io9 reached out to Marvel and a source there reiterated what Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been saying for some time now: Marvel wants to make Blade, but it doesn’t want to make it just to make it. It has to be right and it doesn’t want to rush just to hit a release date.

Scooping up that release date though is Predator: Badlands, the freshly titled follow-up to Prey from director Dan Trachtenberg and starring Elle Fanning. Previously, we’d just been calling it Badlands but now that it’s officially getting a theatrical release, we guess Disney added the franchise name on there (see also: Alien Romulus). The film was shot in New Zealand and, though it’s not a direct sequel to Prey, is expected to be in the same universe. It’s hugely exciting that after the success of Prey, Predator is coming back to the big screen for the holiday season.

Back to Blade though. While the film is currently undated, Marvel did solidify its future with the same announcement. Those three new 2028 release dates (February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028) could be anything, especially since they’re all in the aftermath of Avengers: Secret Wars in May 2027. Could one of them be Blade? The return of Deadpool? A second Fantastic Four movie? Young Avengers? We don’t know and we’re guessing not even Marvel knows for sure yet. But it now gives them seven “untitled” slots on the release schedule from 2026-2028. Marvel isn’t going anywhere, and maybe Blade will lead the way when it’s ready.

Are you optimistic we’ll ever see Blade? What are you thinking about the new Predator film? Let us know below.

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