In an untimely move, director Bassam Tariq has stepped down from Marvel’s upcoming Blade film. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the story on Tuesday night. It isn’t clear what kind of effect Tariq’s departure will have on the film’s November 2023 release. Shooting was reported to start later this year in Atlanta.
A Marvel rep gave a statement to THR, citing “continued shifts” in the schedule as the reason for the director’s departure. Blade will still have Bassam Tariq in his role as an executive producer. Tariq himself has stated that he was “eager to see” what vision the next director has for the film. As of now, the new director hasn’t been publicly announced by Marvel.
Bassam Tariq and Mahershala Ali discuss ‘Blade’
Last September, Tariq gave credit to the Wesley Snipes Blade trilogy for paving the way for the current installment. He also praised the talents of writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour and star Mahershala Ali, who will play the iconic hero.
“A Black man created the superhero world that we’re in, that’s just the truth,” Tariq said in an interview with IndieWire. Tariq also described how honored he felt to “be working with real Black juggernauts and Black talent.”
In an interview with the Breakfast Club, Ali, who was introduced to the MCU in Luke Cage as “Cottonmouth” Stokes, said that he was “humbled and so encouraged” by the support offered from Snipes.
“It’s a lot of pressure, it’s a lot,” the two time Oscar winner said. “But, you know, other people have done it and survived and succeeded so I’m gonna try to set myself up to do the absolute best work that I can do.”
Ali made his debut as Blade in a post-credit scene for 2021’s Eternals, though this was only a voice cameo. The news of Tariq’s departure comes as Marvel prepares to launch its first horror project, Werewolf by Night. The Halloween special will drop on Disney+ on October 7.
Written by Olan Bryant
