Maybe don’t call it a vampire’s curse, but Marvel’s “Blade” has undergone so many delays that fans wonder if the film will ever happen. In what feels like another blow to the project, which has seemingly undergone countless rewrites and has been rethought and re-envisioned several times if the rumors are true, The Wrap reports that the film has lost its director Yann Demange, known for the action thriller, “71” and “White Boy Rick” (Demange was once in the mix to direct Bond 25 before Cary Fukunaga took over).
READ MORE: ‘Blade’ Could Be Delayed Until 2026 & ‘Midnight Sons’ Rumored To Be In MCU Development
The Wrap reveals that Demange parted ways with Marvel amicably a while ago, but the news just surfaced. He would be the second director to depart the project following the film’s original director, Bassam Tariq, who departed the production just two months before it was set to start in 2022.
Marvel veteran writer Eric Pearson— who often does a final pass on many Marvel scripts and recently worked on “Fantastic Four”— is currently working on a new draft of the “Blade” script. Previous writers on the project include Michael Starrbury, Nic Pizzolatto, and Michael Green, the latter of whom is rumored to be writing a connected-to-Blade “Midnight Sons” movie, which might explain the delays and what seems like the overhaul of this long-in-the-works project. But none of that is official.
Mahershala Ali is still attached to star as the half-human vampire hunter, Blade, but it’s been rumored in the trades that he’s thought about giving up on the project over the years.
“Blade” has lost many original cast members due to delays and rewrites. Aaron Pierre was initially scheduled to play a villain in the movie but eventually left the project when his character’s role was dropped. Mia Goth and Delroy Lindo were once attached to the film as well, but it’s likely, given all the extensive rethinks and rewrites, that they’re likely no longer attached either.
Insiders tell the Wrap that getting “Blade” right is more important than rushing it out the door.
According to many rumors, “Blade” was originally set to be an R-rated period piece, but that’s apparently no longer the case, and the film has been pushed into a modern setting, most likely to interact with the Marvel Cinematic Universe sooner. “Blade” is supposed to be R-rated, but Marvel Studios’ first R-rated test and how it performs at the box office will be this summer’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” It’s sure to be a success, no doubt, but all eyes will be watching to see if the R-rating does affect the film’s ceiling.
“Blade” was announced at Comic-Con in 2019, not long after Mahershal Ali became a two-time Academy Award winner for “Moonlight” and “Green Book.” The film is currently set for a Nov. 7, 2025 release date, but with no director attached, no script in place, and likely a new cast needing to be hired, it’s very likely we’re not going to see the film until late 2026 at the earliest.
“Blade” likely would have been pushed regardless. Marvel has been vowing to release no more than two or three films a year and 2025 currently has four films on the docket, something that won’t last for long.
Mahershala Ali is currently in talks with Universal and Amblin to join the next “Jurassic World” film, likely a film he was able to take because the 2024 production of “Blade” had stalled. Lastly, additional rumors have claimed that Wesley Snipes will be reprising the role of “Blade” for some multiversal appearance, perhaps “Avengers: Secret Wars,” but that is, as of now, not at all official, but dare to dream.
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