Popverse's top stories of the day

• How a second Donald Trump U.S. Presidency might impact the movie, tv, and comics industries
• 40 years after its debut, Dragon Ball is a pop culture force like few others
• Sisterhood of Dune ending explained: Understanding the book that Dune: Prophecy was based on

Marvel Studios’ Blade has been in production so long we could have gotten three different films in the series by now. In fact, there have reportedly been as many versions of the script depending on who was sat in the director’s chair at the time. At one point, the studio was planning a Prohibition-era Blade film featuring Blade’s daughter, according to recent reports.

Unfortunately, that incredibly cool idea might be out the window at this point as the studio scrambles to replace its second director, Yann Demange, who stepped down in June 2024. Before filming was shut down because of the Hollywood strikes of 2023, Demange was set to shoot a Blade film that co-starred X’s Mia Goth as a vampire named Lilith, who was after the blood of Blade’s daughter in the 1920s.

Now that Demange is departing from the project, it is unclear how much of that storyline will remain. We know that Goth is still set to star in the film, which is exciting because we know she can play a terrifying villain thanks to her role as Pearl in the X films, but it is unclear how much of Demange’s script is expected to survive the newest shakeup. Eric Pearson, who has written scripts for Marvel Studios in the past, is reportedly giving the screenplay yet another rewrite this summer before the studio tries to find another director. According to reports, the studio is switching the setting to modern day instead of a period piece. No idea what they are going to do with that giant train, though.

Along with Goth, Mahershala Ali is still expected to star in the long-delayed Blade reboot for the MCU, though he is apparently frustrated enough with the long wait that even his lawyer is commenting on it publicly. It is understandable since he has been attached to the role since way back in 2019 and has outlasted two directors and multiple writers. After nearly five years, who knows how much longer he is willing to wait?

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters