Marvel Studios’ long-delayed Blade reboot, once set to star Mahershala Ali, has officially been removed from Disney’s 2025 release schedule. But while the troubled project remains in limbo, one piece of the film has quietly made its way to theatres — its costumes. Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E Carter, best known for her work on Black Panther, had already prepared a full wardrobe of period clothing for Blade before the production was scrapped. Much of that work ended up being repurposed for Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners.
In an interview with ScreenCrush (via Variety), Sinners producer Sev Ohanian explained that Carter’s extensive costume collection, originally intended for Blade, was purchased for use on Sinners after Marvel agreed to part with it at a reduced price.
“Ruth Carter was working on the Blade movie that ended up not shooting,” Ohanian said. “At one point, that movie was going to deal with, and she’s talked about this before, but at one point, that film was going to deal with the past around the same era as Sinners. She happened to have a warehouse full of period-appropriate clothes, and it was like, ‘Yo, we got to shoot this movie like tomorrow.’ And Marvel was generous enough and kind enough to let us basically purchase it at price.”
While many background actors in Sinners wore costumes originally designed for Blade, Carter created new, original looks for the film’s lead characters.
Though Blade’s future remains unclear, Coogler is expected to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon with Black Panther 3. Denzel Washington recently confirmed he will appear in the sequel, a collaboration Coogler has been eager to realise.
“There’s no fiction out there,” Coogler said during an appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. “Denzel is family at this point … I’ve been trying to work with him since day one. I think he’s the greatest living actor, and in terms of what he means to our culture, forget about it. I’ve been talking to him about this to him for a long time.”
