Marvel’s ‘Blade’ Reboot Is Having Some Problems

From losing its director right before filming was about to begin to reports about its script being revised, Blade is facing some issues.

Fans might have to wait awhile longer for the Blade reboot. On Tuesday (September 27), reports from Jeff Sneider (of Hollywood newsletter The Ankler) surfaced that director Bassam Tariq has exited the project, which was supposed to begin filming this fall.

“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 Studios said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.”

“It’s been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel. We were able to put together a killer cast and crew,” Tariq added in a separate statement. “Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”

On Twitter, Sneider shared that along with Tariq’s exit, filming for the Mahershala Ali-led epic has been pushed to November while Moon Knight writer and X-Men ’97 executive producer Beau DeMayo revises the script, which is allegedly 90 pages in length. THR added that the film has undergone several script rewrites during production shifts.

Sneider also tweeted that two action sequences in the Blade reboot are “lackluster,” and Ali is “frustrated with the process.” Sources have also told Sneider that Marvel president Kevin Feige is “spread too thin,” as Feige is concluding Phase 4 of the MCU with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in December.

Blade was announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, with Ali putting on a baseball cap with the film’s logo at the end of the Marvel Panel. Also in the cast are English actors Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre. Blade is slated to premiere on November 3, 2023.