Marvel Studios’ Blade will no longer have director Bassam Tariq at the helm.
Blade, which has a November 3, 2023 release date, was preparing to begin shooting in November in Atlanta. It’s unclear how Tariq’s departure will affect the start of production on the vampire action thriller, which stars Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the title role, with a cast that also includes Delroy Lindo and the actor Old Aaron Pierre.
“Due to ongoing changes in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of Blade, but will remain an executive producer on the film,” Marvel said in a statement to THR. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he has done to bring Blade to where it is.”
Tariq thanked Marvel in his own statement: “It’s been an honor to work with the wonderful people at Marvel. We were able to assemble a killer cast and crew. Looking forward to seeing where the next director takes the film.”
Blade has seen its production start changed at least once before, if not twice, and sources say the project has undergone several rounds of script rewrites. Beau DeMayo, who has worked on shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Witcher and its animated spin-off, as well as Marvel’s own Moon Knight, is the current writer. A source says the studio is already in search mode for a new director.
Blade has been one of Marvel’s most anticipated films since the studio announced the project to much fanfare at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. At the end of Marvel’s panel, Ali made a surprise appearance and he put on a baseball cap with the Blade. logo Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige later told THR that Ali had called him personally to express interest in playing the character.
Blade was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan for Tomb of Dracula #1. 10, 1973. He is a half-mortal, half-immortal who hunts vampires to avenge his mother, who was killed by a vampire while giving birth. birth to him Wesley Snipes previously played the character in a trilogy in the early 2000s.
Tariq directed and co-wrote Mogul Mowgli, the well-known rap drama starring Riz Ahmed. He had been at Blade since the summer of 2021, working on an initial script from Watchmen writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour.
Blade has already made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least partially. In 2021, Eternals Ali made a surprise voice cameo in a post-credits scene that suggests Marvel is about to explore a horror side of the MCU. The director’s departure comes as Marvel prepares to release its first horror project, the Halloween special Werewolf By Night, coming to Disney+ on October 7.