Marvel Studios’ Blade found its director, Bassam Tariq, last month. The highly-anticipated reboot will feature Academy-awarding winning actor Mahersala Ali as Blade. This is going to be the first time the Marvel Comics character will be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the not the first big screen appearance. There has been three Blade movies between 1998 and 2004 with Wesley Snipes playing the titular role.
During a recent interview with IndieWire, Tariq promised that the reboot will pay respect to Snipes’ Blade Trilogy. “What’s exciting about the film that we’re making is [there] hasn’t been a canon for Blade, as we’re reading through the comics and everything,” Tariq explained. “Him being a daywalker is the one thing that’s been established, and you know we can’t deny what Wesley Snipes did, which was he basically got this whole ball rolling. A Black man created the superhero world that we’re in, that’s just the truth. For me to now be working with somebody as talented and a juggernaut as Mahershala Ali, and the writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour, I’m just so — I’m so honored to be working with real Black juggernauts and Black talent. For me to just be with them in this room and listen and learn as I build this out, it’s really an honor.”
On September 1st, Tariq confirmed that he will be directing the Marvel film.
“I didn’t think [‘Blade’] was going to happen, just to be very honest,” Tariq revealed on a recent episode of The Playlist Podcast. “I’m honored and it’s a privilege, but I’m here in service of Stacy Osei-Kuffour, who is the incredible writer that is writing the film…She’s just a phenomenal presence and a juggernaut in her own right. And for Mahershala [Ali]. For me, it’s really just working in their service….[Marvel] takes big swings, you know?…I can’t say anything about it, but I’m just so excited for what we’re doing.”
“Character is very important for me. I don’t think of genre, I think of character,” Tariq added. “It’s not so boxed in as people imagine it to be [working with Marvel Studios]. It’s quite exciting. And I think the reality is there is no ‘Blade’ canon, you know? If you ever read the comics, they’re always changing…Unfortunately, the [comic book series] never lasted that long.”
Marvel Studios’ Blade is yet to set a release date. But for now, you can check out Marvel’s 2021 line-up includes Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is now playing in theaters. What If…? series is currently playing on Disney+ with the latest episode having a darker ending than the first three. Next big Marvel Studios film to release is Eternals, which is set to premiere this November 5th. The Hawkeye series will debut November 24th on Disney+. Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters on December 17th.
