Marvel Studio’s Blade has had a bumpy road since it was announced and it just hit another major pothole as director Yann Demange has exited the troubled film, which is set to feature Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the vampire hunter.
Ali was attached to star in the film in 2019 following the release of Avengers: Endgame, concluding over a decade of storytelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and signaling the beginning of a new saga across the MCU. Though he was not seen onscreen, Ali did appear in the post-credits scene of Eternals as the mystery voice speaking to Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman/Black Knight.
Originally slated for a Fall 2022 release, production on Blade has undergone many changes and challenges both internal and external. Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq was attached to helm the film, but dropped out due to an apparent scheduling conflict. Production has been delayed several times, most notably due to last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as well as a couple of script rewrites. Demange’s exit is just another problem in getting Blade back to the big screen.
A reason for Demange’s departure was not given, but it was apparently an amicable split between him and Marvel. The film is currently being written by Eric Pearson, a Marvel veteran who wrote Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow, the TV series Agent Carter and several of the Marvel One-Shots. He also wrote the Monsterverse’s crossover Godzilla vs. Kong.
Blade is scheduled for release on November 7th, 2025. There’s still plenty of time before it would hit theatres, but with Marvel now tasked with finding a new director and no word on the script’s completion, don’t hold your breath on the film’s 2025 release.
Marvel Studios is undergoing something of a restructuring after its last few films and TV series haven’t been nearly as successful, both critically and financially, as its Infinity Saga films. The next MCU film on the docket is Deadpool & Wolverine as the sole Marvel film of 2024 followed by Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Fourin 2025. We’ll have to wait and see if Blade will remain on the schedule for next year.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published June 13, 2024. Updated June 14, 2024.
