Why The Blade Reboot Needs A Release Platform That Isn’t Disney+ – Screen Rant

Blade has always blended superhero elements with horror, making the MCU reboot of the vampire hunter too mature to be released on Disney+.

Vampire hunter Blade will be coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but his debut appearance would not be a good fit for a Disney+ release. The new project was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, with Mahershala Ali set to star. Marvel has kept much of the movie's details under wraps, and little about the film was revealed at their recent Investor Day. A set release date has not been confirmed for the project, and with Phase 4's consistent delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this may not be announced anytime soon. The new Blade project will be the third live-action adaptation of the character, with Wesley Snipes famously playing the vampire slayer in a trilogy of movies starting with 1992'sBlade, and rapper Sticky Fingaz taking on the role in a short-lived Spike TV spinoff.

Despite his first film being released in the 1990s, Blade's history with Marvel comics dates back to 1973. After a vampire in disguise fed on his mother, Blade, bornEric Brooks, was a human-vampire hybrid from birth. This gave him immunity to vampire bites and, later, superhuman strength and speed. His mother succumbed to her wounds, and Brooks became an expert on vampire lore and martial arts in order to avenge her death. Blade became the ultimate vampire hunter, and began a quest to eradicate the world of evil vampires.

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Blade's adventures, in comics, movies, and TV shows alike, have all been strongly influenced by horror. In fact, the dark, R-rated tone of the originalBlade movies helped them become among the first commercially successful movies based on a Marvel property. With virtually no updates on the Blade reboot since the 2019 announcement, what's not known is whether this is still being planned as a theatrical release or a release for Disney+, or if the movie project might evolve into a Disney+ series instead.SinceBlade's more mature elements are essential to doing the character justice, the upcoming project would be out of place among Disney+'s family-friendly offerings.

While there have been talks of adding an R-rated section to Disney+, Disney's resistance to putting even tame shows likeLove, Victor on the platform makes this unlikely. TheLove, Simon spinoff is a teen romantic dramedy that was initially intended for a Disney+ release that was moved last-minute to Hulu. The series does not feature anything close to R-rated, but was seemingly moved simply because its central character is gay.If Disney was unwilling to putLove, Victor on Disney+,something as intense asBlade does not stand a chanceof being released on the platform.

IfBlade were to come to Disney+, it would probably have to be made with the streaming service in mind. Its violence and horror influence would have to be toned down to make it fit in with the other MCU offerings on the platform and the Disney brand in general. These dilutions would undoubtedly hurt the project as a whole, as much of the character's essence would be lost.

Instead of aiming for a Disney+ release (if it isn't being planned as a theatrical release),Blade could be slated for a Hulu release from the beginning. This would give the creatives behind the new project some much-needed creative freedom.Putting the new project on Hulu could alsoentice new subscribers to the Disney-owned service,which couldbecome a designated home for darker Marvel projects, whether they are a part of the MCU or not. BothDeadpool movies and the Wesley Snipes Blademoviesare already available on Hulu. They could easily be joined byLogan,the newBlade, and even further explorations into the darker sectors of Marvel lore.IfBlade is successful on Hulu, even the cancelledGhost Rider series could be given a second chance.

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Kristen Abernathy is a Movies and TV Features writer at Screen Rant. She is a current third year Biology student at the University of California, Los Angeles who loves science fiction as much as real science. When she isn't studying, she's reading comics, watching movies, and writing her own short stories.

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Why The Blade Reboot Needs A Release Platform That Isn't Disney+ - Screen Rant