Featured Image Credit: New Line Cinema
Topics: Marvel, TV And Film
At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, Marvel Studios outlined their upcoming slate which includes the release of Blade. The film is due to release on 3 November, 2023, with Mahershala Ali in the titular role. Seeing as it was announced back in 2018, you’d think that production would be swimming along nicely by now but that doesn’t appear to be the case at all. Blade’s director has exited the project, potentially putting the release date in jeopardy.
Speaking of Marvel, the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is just around the corner. Check out the trailer below.
Director Bassam Tariq was originally at the helm of Blade but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the director has now exited the project. "Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of Blade but will remain an executive producer on the film," read the statement from Marvel. "We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is."
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Tariq added, “It’s been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel. We were able to put together a killer cast and crew. Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”
Changing schedules might not be the only factor affecting the progress of Blade. The Ankler journalist Jeff Sneider took to Twitter to announce, “I’m told that the current Blade script is roughly 90 pages and features exactly TWO (lackluster) action sequences. Mahershala said to be very frustrated with the process. Feige said to be spread too thin. But hey, that’s just what sources are telling me.” If what Sneider says is true, it sounds like there was maybe more to Tariq's departure than met the eye.