Aaron Pierre Says That He Is No Longer Working on ‘Blade’
Despite a troubled production, Marvel Studio’s Blade appears to be back on track.
The film was initially announced in 2019, with Mahershala Ali cast as the titular character. Since that time, however, things have not gone smoothly for the project.
Photo: The Cosmic Circus
Initially scheduled for a November 3, 2023 release, Blade was delayed until September 6, 2024, before being pushed again to November 7, 2025.
The reasons for the dalys have been both numerous and concerning.
A Troubled Production
With filming set to commence in 2022, director Bassam Tariq left the project. He would eventually be replaced by Yann Demange.
At the time that Demange took the helm, it was revealed that Michel Starrbury was rewriting the film’s original Stacy Osei-Kuffor script.
Then, in April 2023, it was announced that Nic Pizzolatto had signed to rewrite the film, only for that writer to be replaced by Michael Green in 2023. Things reportedly got so bad that Ali was set to walk away from the project altogether.
Finally, just when the film seemed to be getting back on the right track, production on Blade was shut down in June 2023 due to the WGA strike. After four years of development, Blade seemed no closer to becoming a reality than when it was initially announced.
Aaron Pierre Exits ‘Blade’
While Mahershala Ali recently sounded positive about Blade‘s future, another actor who was attached to the project has revealed that he has left.
Variety
In an interview with Variety on the 55th NAACP Image Awards red carpet, Aaron Pierre stated that while he was initially tied to Blade, he will not be appearing in the film.
“Early on, there were conversations,” Pierre said of his involvement. “As the project evolved, I’m no longer part of that — attached.”
Photo: Variety
While Pierre’s involvement in Blade was never officially announced by Marvel, the actor was reportedly cast after an extensive process.
When Will ‘Blade’ Be Released
With Blade going through so many changes, it is perhaps no surprise that the film’s cast has changed. For now, however, Ali has remained optimistic.
“We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you,” Ali told Entertainment Weekly in December 2023. “I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. We’ll be back at it relatively soon.”
Photo: Collider
“I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that,” Ali added. “So that’s the extent of what I can tell you.”
Blade will hit theaters on November 6, 2025.
