If there’s one thing that fans who’ve enjoyed the Marvel movies in order have known for a long time now, it’s that the studio behind 2025 movies like Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and recent hit The Fantastic Four: First Steps always has lots of creative irons in the fire. As such, there are several films that were announced as being in the planning stages years ago, but which have been slow to take root. Now, though, we’ve gotten an update on the Blade reboot, Black Panther, and Deadpool, as superhero franchises experience a “pullback.”
What’s Been Said About The Current Plans For Blade, Deadpool And Black Panther?
It was roughly six years ago (during San Diego Comic-Con 2019) that a Blade reboot starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali was announced with much fanfare. Numerous delays have hit the upcoming Marvel movie since then (even with some potential good news about the story involving Wesley Snipes, as well), and we still don’t have any idea when things will get rolling.
Meanwhile, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is doing well in theaters, and with major hits in the studio’s rearview like Deadpool and Wolverine and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, many are wondering where things stand with the long-awaited reboot and new appearances for old faves like Deadpool and Black Panther. According to a report from Variety, fans should be prepared to wait even longer in at least two cases, as the outlet notes:
Amid an industrywide pullback on superheroes, the Marvel brain trust is feeling no sense of urgency on the long-gestating Blade reboot or even a new Deadpool outing, sources say. However, ideas are percolating on a Ryan Coogler-helmed Black Panther 3, creating excitement internally.
As everyone who pays close attention to the world of superhero movies will likely realize, we are hardly in the pre-pandemic boom times that kept all of our excitement levels at 100. This means that things have changed across the board when it comes to spending mega-bucks on every potential superhero blockbuster, especially when one of the biggest markets for those movies, China, has begun to turn its attention elsewhere and business for these films is way down in that country.
While we can look forward to Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the 2026 movies schedule, as well as the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (with both currently filming), those two will be exceptions to the new rule of doing everything possible to “keep the cost down,” which includes not loading up casts with A-list talent who command major salaries. Because of that, the Ryan Reynolds starring Deadpool franchise, as well as the Ali-led Blade update are still in a holding pattern for now.
However, with Ryan Coogler still riding the high of Sinners, his early 2025 horror hit starring Marvel favorite Michael B. Jordan, things are percolating at a much higher level for a third Black Panther film, particularly with Denzel Washington rebelling against MCU secrecy and revealing he’s going to be in the movie.
Obviously, lots of folks will be disappointed by this update, but remember that some good news is better than none.
