The Blade franchise is poised for a reboot after nearly two decades, and recent reports indicate that the film may ultimately receive an R-rating.
Previously, Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, had told fans the film would receive a PG-13 rating. However, a well-known leaker, Divinity Seeker, has since contradicted this, asserting that the film will have an R rating.
Although this information should be taken with a great deal of skepticism, it makes sense for Marvel Studios to classify the film as R-rated. Blade centers around Eric Brooks, an antihero whose mother was bitten by a vampire while giving birth to him, which confers him immunity to vampirism. Seeking retribution against the dark creatures of the night responsible for his mother’s death, Brooks transforms into the formidable vampire hunter known as Blade.
It only makes sense for MCU’s Blade to be R-rated as the Blade comics are notorious for their graphic and violent content.
Marvel’s decision to give the original Blade trilogy an R rating paid off as the series developed a cult following following its massive box office success albeit divisive critical reviews.
Besides, from a financial perspective, Deadpool shattered the notion that an R rating could hinder a film’s financial success, raking in a staggering $782 million at the box office with a modest production budget of $58 million. Similarly, Todd Phillips’ Joker, the highest-grossing R-rated film to date, earned a whopping $1 billion with a production budget of just $70 million.
Mahershala Ali has been cast in the lead role for the upcoming Blade reboot, which is slated to begin filming next month. Fans can look forward to the film’s release on September 6, 2024.
