Photo Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
Marvel Studios Temporarily Halts 'Blade' Production
Following the departure of director Bassim Tariq, production for the Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot has temporarily shut down in Atlanta.
Marvel Studios is in even more trouble with Blade. On Tuesday (October 11), it was announced that two weeks following the departure of director Bassim Tariq, production on the Mahershala Ali-led film has temporarily been halted in Atlanta. The project was intended to have began shooting in November, with a release date of November 3, 2023, but with the production delay, it's unlikely that the film will be ready by then.
“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,” Marvel Studios said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.”
\u201cMarvel is shutting down pre-production on \u2018BLADE\u2019 as they continue to search for an new director & give further development time for the script.\n\n(Source: https://t.co/p8Uy7FkWYX)\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1665506053
After several rounds of script rewrites, Beau DeMayo (Moon Knight, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Witcher) is now attached as scriptwriter for Blade. The film was announced during the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, where Ali made an appearance and put on a basketball cap with the film's logo. Despite his initial excitement about the upcoming reboot, sources have told Ankler reporter Jeff Snider that Ali has grown "frustrated with the process" as the previous script was roughly 90 pages long and featured two "lackluster" action sequences.
\u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019s just what sources are telling me. Don\u2019t shoot the messenger\u201d— Jeff Sneider (@Jeff Sneider) 1664335257
As the film's production is reassessed, Marvel Comics has announced a five-part comic book miniseries about Blade's daughter, Brielle Brooks, in Bloodline: Daughter of Blade. The book is scheduled to debut next February.
\u201cJUST ANNOUNCED AT #MARVELNYCC: Brielle Brooks\u2019 got a wild ride ahead of her \u2014 she\u2019s about to discover she\u2019s the daughter of the infamous vampire hunter and Daywalker known as Blade! Learn more about \u2018Bloodline: Daughter of Blade\u2019 now: https://t.co/FNnjpbT9kQ\u201d— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel Entertainment) 1665247407
