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“What did one blade of grass say to the other? ‘Without a director, it’s really hard to make dew.’” That’s one of the reasons why Disney decided to push back production on the upcoming Marvel film Blade after losing its original director, Bassam Tariq, and booking Yann Demange to replace him. The film is fighting other demons, though. According to a new Variety report published on November 1, the upcoming film has been plagued by script changes and a lack of creative direction, with one version of the film deigning to morph into a narrative that sidelines its main draw, the double Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. In that script multiverse, Ali would be the fourth lead in a story “led by women and filled with life lessons.” Demange did confirm in an interview that the film will be given an R-rating. Axial Flow Blade
The studio has since hired Logan screenwriter Michael Green to steer the ship amid reports that Ali would drop the project over script issues. Green took over from Emmy-nominated writer Michael Starrbury and at least three other screenwriters. Marvel booked Demange as director last November when the project had already been on pause for a while. Now, Marvel plans to produce the movie for a paltry $100 million, making it an attempt to reign in quarter-billion dollar budgets that require massive box office return — an indie film (Marvel’s Version).
Previously, Marvel said that Tariq’s removal is due to production issues, not artistic differences. “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 stated to THR on September 27, 2022. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.” Tariq released his own statement, calling it an “honor” to work with Marvel on the film.
Blade, which stars Ali in the titular role as well as Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, and Delroy Lindo, was scheduled to begin production in November 2022 with a November 3, 2023, release date. But with the new team on board to start, Disney has no choice but to give them a little bit more time. The film is now slated for a 2025 release, per Variety. There’s no word yet on whether the new release date will push the project into the phase six Marvel plans.
The film was announced in 2019 as part of Marvel: Phase Four and reportedly went through a number of revisions; Beau DeMayo had allegedly tapped in for rewrites of Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s script. Ali as Blade made a brief appearance in the post-credits scene of Eternals, solidifying his place in the MCU as the character earlier than expected. Turns out there are worse things out tonight than vampires: production delays and Kevin Feige–led mismanagement.
This post has been updated throughout.
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