Marvel and Mahershala Ali Are Pressing Forward Despite ‘Blade’s Disastrous Production

Despite the fact that Marvel Studios’ Blade faced yet another setback earlier this month when director Yann Demange, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter states that the film is still being made.

Demange’s exit from Blade was an especially tough blow for the production, as the director had been hand-picked by star Mahershala Ali.

LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 08: Actor Mahershala Ali attends the GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont on December 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

In fact, it was Ali who put plans for Blade in motion in the first place. Following his success with the Green Book, he called Marvel and said he wanted to play the vampire hunter. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ali envisioned Blade as his Black Panther.

A Disastrous Production

Since the film was initially announced in 2019, however, production has been a disaster. Blade has now gone through six screenwriters and is currently looking for its third director.

Yann Demange. Photo: Variety

The film was set to start shooting in May 2023, with screenwriter Nic Pizzolatto brought in to polish the script. Then, the WGA strike hit. Shortly thereafter, the actors would go on strike.

“People have missed about three windows to shoot other movies or shows,” an agent notes.

Photo: The Cosmic Circus

Unlike Deadpool & Wolverine, and Thunderbolts*, which were similarly affected by the Hollywood strikes, Blade never restarted production. Instead, it has seen actors Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre leave the film, and now Demange has exited.

The Plan Moving Forward

According to the Hollywood Reporter exposé, the plot of Blade has shifted dramatically during the troubled production. At one point last year, the film was going to bet in the 1920s. For another version of the film, under former director Bassam Tariq, Disney built a large train set.

Photo: Collider

Now, with Eric Pearson writing the script, the film is going to be set in the present day. Still, Marvel is pressing on. The studio now plans to let Pearson finish his script over the summer before searching for a third director. While it seems that Ali and Marvel are both committed to getting Blade made, there is a long way to go.

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