In what seems now like a running joke, the Marvel Studios version of Blade has lost another director. According to a report from Variety, director Yann Demange (Lovecraft Country), will no longer direct the film. This makes Demange the second director to walk away from the project. Director Bassam Tariq exited an earlier version intended to go into production in 2022. The studio also announced that screenwriter Eric Pearson, who co-wrote The Fantastic Four for Marvel, is the latest writer taking a crack at the Blade script. The report suggests that star Mahershala Ali is still on board as the titular hero, although other actors have departed the project.
In a big bit of fanfare, Kevin Feige announced that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali was starring as the day-walking half-human/half-vampire superhero on stage at Comic-Con 2019. Since that announcement five years ago, nothing has gone right with this project. Writers have come and gone, and now two directors have left. Nevertheless, Marvel Studios seems committed to making this one happen, come hell or high water. Ever since the character’s Wesley Snipes trilogy in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the Marvel hero has become iconic. So, needless to say, the property remains a priority for Marvel. We’re not sure why it’s so hard coming up with a good vampire hunter story, but here we are.
The only time we’ve had an MCU performance by Mahershela Ali as Blade was a quick voice cameo at the end of Eternals. Sadly, three years later, nothing has come of that post-credits scene. First appearing in Tomb of Dracula #10, Blade has been a mainstay of Marvel Comics for five decades. One way or another, Marvel Studios is determined to bring him back to the big screen. It just may take a few more years for that to happen. The film still has a late 2025 release date, but we wouldn’t hold our breath for that one to pan out.
