Director Yann Demange confirmed that "Blade" will be Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)'s second film to have an R rating, after "Deadpool 3."

Per Marvel, the film, which received an R rating for "strong, pervasive vampire violence and gore, language and brief sexuality," will arrive in theaters on Feb. 14, 2025. It will star muti-awarded American actor Mahershala Ali.

In Demange's interview with Deadline, he said that they were going to have fun having Ali. "...for 'Blade,' we are going to have fun because [Mahershala Ali] is such a deep actor. I'm excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way."

"I love him for that. He's got dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen," he continued.

Ali was first announced to play the title role of "Blade" during the Marvel Studios San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2019, per CinemaBlend.

In the Marvel comics created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, Blade — real name Eric Brooks — is a human born with the abilities of a vampire. This is a result of what bloodsucker Dr. Deacon Frost did to his mother as she gave birth to him.

Initially, "Blade" was supposed to be released in theaters on Nov. 3, as announced by Marvel Studios in July 2022. Per Variety, the film allegedly got delayed because of script rewrites and production issues.

Now that a new update about "Blade" is out, MCU fans await more details about the R-rated film. Many have been looking forward for the film to finally be released.

"[I'm] extremely excited for this one. Mahershala Ali is going to absolutely kill it in this role. [I] cannot wait," tweeted one user on X, formerly Twitter. A second user wrote, "I've been waiting YEARS for this movie. The next update I hear about this is 'poster for the upcoming Blade film have been released.'"

"As it should be. As for blood/gore, I want them to top the blood rave from the first 'Blade,'" commented a different netizen.

Tags
Mahershala Ali, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel studios