The writers strike has taken a bite out of Blade.
Marvel Studios is shutting down preproduction on its vampire thriller starring Mahershala Ali, which was set to begin filming next month in Atlanta. The feature project, which has been paused once before, becomes the first tentpole movie impacted by the strike.
Cast and crewmembers are being notified this afternoon.
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 the 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 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. 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.
Still, even if the strike lasts just one month or six weeks, there would likely be an impact, with more movies’ start dates being push among the repercussions.
“There’s a billion dollars net in production costs that are exposed because of the strike. That’s certainly a concern,” says one source involved with the Marvel’s current slate of projects regarding those in or about to go into production.
Most big-budget blockbusters are known for their scripts evolving during production. Marvel, however, has a more acute reputation for script pages flying off the typewriters during filming. And the strike will mark uncharted territory for the studio, which is used to having a writer on set to rework things on the fly.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter