Marvel Halts "Blade" Pre-Production as WGA Strike Continues

Marvel Studios is shutting down pre-production on Mahershala Ali's upcoming Blade film. which was set to begin filming next month in Atlanta. 

The project, which has been paused once before, becomes the first tentpole movie impacted by the writers' strike. The studio will restart the production once the strike is over.

Since the strike action began Tuesday, the biggest impact has been on late-night talk shows and Saturday Night Live. One drama series, Showtime’s Billions, halted production Thursday due to the picketing.

While some studios have one or two movies going into production, Marvel is propping up the industry by planning on having three movies shooting at the same time, not to mention two series.

"Captain America: New World Order" is currently filming in Atlanta. TV show "Agatha: Coven of Chaos" is also shooting in Atlanta, while the series "Wonder Man" is filming in Los Angeles. 

Moreover, "Deadpool 3" is expected to begin production later this month in London, while

"Thunderbolts" is to hit Atlanta in June. As of now, Thunderbolts is still on track.

On Thursday, a WGA member tweeted a call to action, asking people to join them in picketing a Marvel production shooting in the heart of Hollywood. The tweet, which has been deleted, was aimed at "Wonder Man", which stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.