It happened again! Marvel Studios has lost another director as they prepare the Blade reboot, which will still have Mahershala Ali in the lead. At this rate, though, we’d be surprised if he’s still around by the end of 2024.
Just a few months ago, Ali himself provided an encouraging update on the status of the film’s script, as Wolverine 3 and Blade Runner 2049’s Michael Green was working on a new version of the story. Despite the encouraging news and rumors of a final production start date, the project is now facing another wave of rewrites, with director Jan Demange (Lovecraft Country) no longer on board.
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On June 12, The Wrap broke the news, confirming the filmmaker’s exit and a new draft of the script being taken over by Black Widow and Fantastic Four screenwriter Eric Pearson. “According to a source close to the situation, getting Blade right was much more important than getting the movie right,” added The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez.
Demange was the second director attached to the project, with the original cast being Mowgli director Bassam Tariq and Watchmen screenwriter Stacey Osei-Kuffour. That version of the film was scrapped entirely, with Demange replacing Tariq and a series of new rewrites, the latest of which came from Green. Now, considering Pearson’s good relationship with Marvel Studios across multiple projects, his involvement could mean a safer way to approach the story in order to finally get the film off the ground. As for Green, it seems Feige and the producers aren’t unhappy with his work on Blade, as he may now be involved in the upcoming and all-but-confirmed Midnight Sons movie.
If the Green/Midnight Sons rumors are confirmed, the rewrite of the Blade script may not be a negative or a major hurdle, but with the timeline pushed back once again, the loss of yet another director is worrisome. As of now, Ali has signed on to co-star in Gareth Edwards’ Jurassic World film, and if that project continues to run into obstacles and Marvel’s current creative insecurities, it’s easy to see how he might walk away from his once-dream Marvel project.
Blade is currently scheduled to be released on November 7, 2025But don’t get too excited now.
