Michael B. Jordan Says Marvel Will Get Its Success Back, but He Tells the Studio: ‘I Want to See a Blade Movie’

Michael B. Jordan said in an interview with GQ magazine that he’s not concerned about the future of Marvel despite the franchise’s wobbly track record as of late. While the MCU hit a high last year with the record-breaking “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the year prior saw flops like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” sink Marvel Studios to previously unforeseen lows. Jordan’s GQ cover was also published amid disappointing reviews for Marvel’s latest tentpole, “Captain America: Brave New World” (53% on Rotten Tomatoes from 133 reviews).

“[Marvel’s] doing great,” said Jordan, who is one of the MCU’s all-time great villains after playing Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther” and its sequel. “They’ll get it back.”

One comic book tentpole Jordan hopes Marvel gets off the ground is its long-in-the-works “Blade” movie. First announced in 2019 with Mahershala Ali tapped to play the eponymous vampire hunter, “Blade” has been through various writers and directors. Marvel officially took the movie off its release calendar last fall.

“Launching any franchise, it’s tough,” Jordan said. “I hope it gets together. I want to see a ‘Blade’ movie, you know what I’m saying? The ‘Blade’ franchise was everything.”

Bassam Tariq was the first director to join Marvel’s “Blade” movie, although he exited in September 2022 roughly two months before the film was set to begin shooting. Several screenwriters have been announced through the years, from “Watchmen” scribe Stacy Osei-Kuffour to Michael Starrbury. Most recently, director Yann Demange (“Lovecraft Country”) exited the film in June 2024.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told BlackTree TV last summer during his “Deadpool & Wolverine” press tour that not rushing the “Blade” movie has been a big priority for the studio.

“I mean, for the last two years as we’ve been trying to crack that movie, the most important thing for us is not rushing it and making sure we are making the right ‘Blade’ movie,” Feige said at the time.

After Marvel took the movie off its release calendar, Feige told comic book movie fans not to worry about whether or not the iconic vampire hunter will find his way into the MCU. Blade is coming, he promised.

“We are committed to Blade,” Feige told Omelete during the D23 Brazil 2024 event. “We love the character. We love Mahershala’s take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You’re all up to date on what’s happening. But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU.”

Head over to GQ magazine’s website to read Jordan’s cover story in its entirety.