The upcoming Blade movie has lost its director again, which puts its future in jeopardy.
According to TheWrap , filmmaker Yann Demande is no longer directing the Marvel Studios Blade reboot. Although the split was said to be amicable, no further details were provided as to why Demange left the project. He becomes the second director to sign the film following Basim Tariq’s earlier release. Tariq left the project in 2022 after signing on in 2021, and Demange’s hiring was announced in November 2022.
Another failure for Blade
The new Blade movie is changing writers and has reportedly gone through several rewrites. Stacey Osei-Kufur She was hired to write a draft in 2021, and Michael Starberry will reportedly rewrite the script following Demange’s hiring the following year. True Detective creator Nick Pizzolatto and Logan co-writer Michael Green have been attached to contribute to the script at various times. The latest news is that Eric Pearson, who worked on Black Widow and the upcoming films Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four, is writing the latest draft of Blade.
The Blade reboot has been a project full of ups and downs since it was officially announced by Marvel Studios at San Diego Comic Con in 2019. With the recent release of Yan Demand, the film remains without a permanent director. These changes in direction can indicate creative differences or deeper problems in the product. Each new director brings a different vision, often creating scriptwriting and production adjustments that can further delay the project.
The constant change of scriptwriters is a sign that Blade’s story in the MCU is looking for the right direction. The addition of Eric Pearson to the writing team may be an attempt to get a solid final version of the Marvel Studios script before the writer’s schedule begins in 2024, hoping to achieve a November 2025 release date.
Shooting expected in the fall
The Blade reboot plans to begin filming in fall 2024 to meet its November 2025 release date. However, the film may be delayed again. There were earlier rumors that lead actor Mahershala Ali was about to leave the project out of frustration with the script writing process, though in December 2023 he publicly hinted that he was happy with the current direction of the story.
“We’re working on it,” Ali told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s the best I can tell you. I am very encouraged by the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back relatively soon… I’m really encouraged by where things are and who’s in it and who’s directing as far as screenwriting and directing and so on. So that’s all I can tell you.”
A long wait for fans
The Blade reboot was officially announced by Marvel Studios at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. In July, it will be five full years since the film was announced. Vampire Hunter star Mahershala Ali will make his voice cameo debut in the 2021 film Eternals.
For Blade fans, the wait is long and full of expectations. The hope of seeing Ali in a leading role kept the interest of the project alive, despite the setbacks. The story of Blade, a half-human, half-vampire hybrid, provides a rich narrative that is expected to further expand the MCU universe with darker and more mature themes.
Blade’s future in the MCU
Despite the setbacks, the film is still in progress and released in 2015. It is scheduled to release in theaters on November 7, 2025. Fans of the MCU and the horror genre are hoping that the challenges faced during production will result in a film worth seeing. With the acting skills of Mahershala Ali and the experience of the new writers, there is hope that Blade will bring a new dimension to the already vast Marvel Universe.
In short, the Blade reboot remains a challenging, but potentially viable project. With recent changes to the production team and filming soon to begin, fans can expect this iconic character to finally live up to his original legacy in the MCU and deliver exciting and unique cinematic experiences.