Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’ is first studio tentpole to pause during WGA strike

Marvel Studios’ Blade starring Mahershala Ali has become the first studio tentpole to be put on hold during the 2023 US writers’ strike.

The vampire thriller was in pre-production and scheduled to start shooting in Atlanta next month with Yann Demange (’71, Lovecraft Country) in the director’s chair.

True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto had been hired to work on the screenplay until the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) called a strike on Monday evening.

The studio told cast and crew on Friday and plans to resume when the strike ends.

Marvel Studios is known for copious rewrites, adjustments and experimentation on set. So long as the strike endures, Pizzolatto and other WGA members are not allowed on set. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story, Marvel Studios nonetheless has a busy production schedule.

Captain America: New World Order is shooting in Atlanta and will presumably go as far as it can until significant rewrites are required and it too goes on hold.

Deadpool 3 is scheduled to start production in London later this month, before Thunderbolts starts in Atlanta in June. Sony/Marvel’s Venom 3 has also been lining up for a London shoot this year.

Shows Agatha: Coven Of Chaos is filming now in Atlanta and the series Wonder Man is currently shooting in Los Angeles. As things stand Fantastic Four is earmarked to start production in London in January 2024.

Late night talk shows, which require daily work by teams of writers immediately went off air on Tuesday as the first picket lines gathered around studios and networks in Los Angeles and New York.

Since then other shows have also been put on hold, among them Showtime’s Billions and HBO Max/Universal’s Hacks.

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