With the recent news that director Bassim Tariq had left the upcoming Blade reboot for Marvel, it has emerged that the studio has paused production while they find a replacement. The vampire movie was in pre-production in Atlanta, with filming set to begin in November.
Filming is unlikely to begin before 2023 now, meaning that Blade probably won’t make its November 2023 release date. Mahershala Ali is set to star in the role that Wesley Snipes played in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ali has been attached to the role for several years, but it’s taken several re-writes of the script, plus pandemic-related delays to get to this point.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a source said that “they want to really get it right.” The newly released “special presentation” movie on Disney Plus – Werewolf by Night – has fueled hopes that we might be getting a Midnight Sons movie, which should also incorporate Blade. Blade’s mother is bitten by a vampire while in labour with him, causing her death. Blade becomes immune to vampire bites, and grows up to take his vengeance as a vampire hunter.
At the moment, Blade has a release slot between The Marvels (starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani) and Captain America: New World Order (starring Anthony Mackie) in Phase 5 of the MCU. This now looks likely to shift, but it’s unlikely to cause knock-on effects or problems, as Blade is currently fairly standalone.
The Blade trilogy starring Wesley Snipes was the passion project of David S. Goyer. Blade II directed by Guillermo del Toro is probably the most highly-regarded of the three movies. Whether Marvel will be lucky enough to find a director as distinctive as del Toro for the new Blade remains to be seen.
While we wait to find out who will be directing Blade, check out our guide to the Marvel movies, ranked.