Marvel Studios ‘Blade’ pre-production halted amid WGA strike

The ongoing writers’ strike in Hollywood has impacted the shooting of Marvel’s upcoming project, a vampire thriller titled “Blade.” As per The Hollywood Reporter, the makers have decided to shut down preproduction on their vampire thriller starring Mahershala Ali, which was set to begin filming next month in Atlanta. Blade had recently hired ‘True Detective’ creator Nic Pizzolatto to work on the script, but, according to an insider, “time simply ran out.” The studio will restart production once the strike is over.

Since the strike action began Tuesday, the biggest impact has been on late-night talk shows and Saturday Night Live. One drama series, Showtime’s Billions, halted production on Thursday due to picketing.

While some studios have one or two movies going into production, Marvel is seemingly propping up the industry by planning on having three movies shooting at the same time, not to mention two series. Even with the Blade shutdown, it is gearing up for one of the busiest times in the company’s history.

‘Captain America: New World Order’ is currently filming in Atlanta. The TV show ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ is also shooting in Atlanta, while fellow series ‘Wonder Man’ is filming in Los Angeles. ‘Deadpool 3’ is expected to go in front of cameras later this month in London, while ‘Thunderbolts’ is to hit Atlanta in June.

As of now, Thunderbolts is still on track. ‘Fantastic Four’, which is in the midst of the most closely watched casting search since Marvel hired Tom Holland to play ‘Spider-Man’ eight years ago, is eying a January 2024 start date in London. That could change if the strike were to drag on and on for six months or more, though according to sources, that is seen as unlikely.

More than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began the strike on Tuesday, claiming they aren’t paid fairly in the streaming era.