Marvel's 'Blade' Reboot Finds A New Director

Marvel's upcoming "Blade" reboot has found a new director. Per The Hollywood Reporter, "Lovecraft Country" veteran Yann Demange has been tapped to step behind the camera for the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film.

As reported by The Blast, "Blade" was gearing up for its principal production phase originally scheduled for this month before original director Bassam Tariq suddenly exited from the project. As a result, Marvel Studios delayed the film, pushing back its release date a whole year from November 2023 to September 2024.

THR also notes that Tariq parted ways with the production due to creative differences, so Marvel delayed its fall production start to search for a new director and give the film some breathing room. The film has already gone through multiple production shifts before new rounds of rewrites.

Along with Demange, the project has also received a new writer in the form of Emmy-nominated screenwriter Michael Starrbury ("When They See Us"). THR reports the film is undergoing a "page one rewrite." Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali is still on board to star in the titular role of Marvel's vampire hunter, Blade. Ali was reportedly personally involved in selecting Starrbury for the project.

While story details are still being kept under wraps, THR reports that the new intent is to have a darker and grittier tone for the film, potentially putting it on the edgier side of MCU material. The original "Blade" films starring Wesley Snipes were dark, bloody, and violent R-rated films, so the project reset might put the project on a more common ground with the beloved original live-action films.

Per THR, Marvel Studios' current plan is to start filming "Blade" in 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia with the film coming out in September of the following year.

Demange's past features also include the films "'71" and "White Boy Rick." He also directed the pilot of HBO's "Lovecraft Country," which had a dark and deep tone for the horror series. So, that might be a good example of why Marvel chose Demange for the role.

Disney has never released a Marvel Studios film with an R-rating. That remains to be seen if that will be the case here. However, the original "Blade" movie released in 1998 starring Snipes having an R-rating gave it an edge over other comic book superhero movies that were being released in that era.

The thematic subject matter of the Blade character lends itself more towards that type of rating due to the presence of bloodsucking vampires and its relation to the horror genre. Blade has also battled with Marvel Comics' version of Dracula. The character himself debuted in the pages of "The Tomb of Dracula" Issue No. 10 in 1973, created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan.

A darker and grittier tone would make a lot of sense for the film, but will Marvel Studios take the extra step in making the film R-rated to give it even more of an edge? That's the $100 million question at the moment.

Marvel's "Blade" reboot is currently scheduled for a September 6, 2024 release date.