Aaron Pierre Says He’s Exited Marvel’s ‘Blade’ Reboot: “As The Project Evolved, I’m No Longer Part Of That”

Recently, actors such as Steven Yeun (“Beef”) and Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) exited Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” movie ahead of filming due to scheduling conflicts and multiple production delays, but “Blade” has also lost a cast member exit, too. Actor Aaron Pierre (“Underground Railroad”), who had landed an unnamed part in the studio’s reboot of “Blade,” has revealed to Variety on the red carpet of the 55th NAACP Image Awards that due to the creative changes on the project, he’s “no longer part of that.”

“Early on, there were conversations. As the project evolved, I’m no longer part of that — attached,” Pierre told Variety over the weekend.

READ MORE: ‘Blade’: Director Yann Demange Confirms R-Rating & Is Excited To Unleash Mahershala Ali’s “Ferocity”

Marvel’s reboot has seen multiple tinkerings and rewrites, with the most recent incarnation of the script penned by penned by “Logan” screenwriter Michael Green (“Blue Eyed Samurai”). A rumor making the rounds online suggested a period setting for the new film has been scrapped, and a big rethink could explain why Pierre’s character is no longer part of the most recent scripts.

If you’re unfamiliar with Blade, the violent Marvel anti-hero is a hunter of vampires who have secretly inserted themselves in all levels of human society. Born a vampire, Blade has vampiric strength and agility without deadly sensitivities to sunlight and silver. The former aspect of his power set led to his nickname among the Vampire Nation as the Daywalker.

Pierre had a previous link to “Blade” with franchise screenwriter David S. Goyer, playing Dev-Em in his Superman prequel series “Krypton.” Of course, two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali has been set in the Blade/Eric Brooks role for ages, with Delroy Lindo (“Da 5 Bloods”) and Mia Goth (“Pearl”) taking mystery roles (though who knows, more actors could have also dropped out given all the delays).

A long line of writers hasn’t been the only creative challenge for “Blade” as there was a director shake-up with Yann Demange (“White Boy Rick,” “Lovecraft Country”) replacing Bassam Tariq (“Mogul Mowgli”). Demange gave an encouraging update and said last year that the plan was to keep the franchise’s established R-rated rating, similar to “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

After previous slate shifts, “Blade” has a tentative release date of November 7, 2025. Still, many signs of Marvel’s new approach, including Disney CEO Bob Iger’s wish to scale back and not oversaturate the market, plus rumored late 2024 start dates, heavily suggest a film that won’t arrive until TBD 2026.