‘Blade’ Loses Director Bassam Tariq
by Erik Amaya
Making Marvel movies is not as easy as it seems.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Bassam Tariq has left Marvel Studios’ upcoming Blade. The film — set to star Mahershala Ali as the titular Daywalker with Delory Lindo and Aaron Pierre in supporting roles — was to begin production in November. But as the entire Marvel operation is a series of shifting production realities, a shift in the reality for Blade initiated Tariq’s departure. Or, at least, that is Marvel’s explanation in a statement to THR. Tariq will retain an executive producer credit on the eventual film and said in his own statement that “It’s been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel. We were able to put together a killer cast and crew. Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”
It is unclear how much of a delay the departure will cause, but the search for a replacement director has already begun. Additionally, THR claims writer Beau DeMayo has taken over rewriting the script.
Blade is currently scheduled for release on November 3rd, 2023.
