Blade: the next Marvel film loses its director (again)

It is ultimately not the Frenchman Yann Demange who will direct the next film Blade with Mahershala Ali in the title role. The filmmaker has in fact just left the project, which therefore finds itself once again without a director. Clearly, the vampire slayer is not about to play the stake.

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A journey strewn with pitfalls

This is the second time that the Marvel film has lost its director. Announced in 2019 by Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, Blade was first supposed to be signed Bassam Tariq, but the latter left the ship in the fall of 2022. He was then replaced by Demange (’71, Top Boy, Lovecraft Country) in November of that year, but the film’s production was then pushed back by the 2023 writers’ strike.

Result, the feature film which is still not ready to see the light of day, since the departure of Demange is also accompanied by a new change of screenwriter. Originally written by Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen, The Bear), then by Michael Starrbury (In their eyes, Colin in black and white), it is now Eric Pearson, a regular on Marvel productions (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow, Thunderbolts* ) who is in charge of the scenario.

This new Blade film was supposed to begin filming this summer in Mexico, but rumors ultimately indicate filming in the fall. Its cinema release is still scheduled for November 5, 2025.

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As a reminder, Blade is a half-vampire created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, who first appeared in Marvel comics in 1973. He was already the subject of a cinema trilogy in the late 1990s/early 1990s. from the 2000s, in which Wesley Snipes plays the role of the vampire hunter. Blade, Blade II And Blade: Trinity had then generated $418 million at the worldwide box office.

A phase 5 turned upside down

Unless there is any change, the Marvel films coming in 2025 are Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts *, Fantastic Four And Blade. Production on the first four is either complete or already well underway, and with a release date just over a year away, you’d think it would be high time Marvel put a spin on the last one.

However, it seems that the studio’s thinking heads are more dedicated to putting together a viable film than to rushing its theatrical release. While that in itself is a good thing, it may indicate that we’re not immune to a change in the MCU’s Phase 5 timeline. Note that Mahershala Ali is still attached to the role of Blade.

The studio only has one MCU film hitting theaters this year, Deadpool & Wolverineexpected in July and marked by the return of Hugh Jackman in the guise of the mutant X-Men.

While waiting to know if Blade will indeed end up going on the hunt, fans of Marvel superhero films can immerse themselves in this universe on the Disney+ platform, where almost all of these blockbusters are available for streaming.

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