Just a few weeks before filming was set to begin, director Bassam Tariq has walked away from Marvel’s Blade.
Directorial disputes are nothing new on big budget productions. Perhaps most notably, Edgar Wright exited during pre-production for 2015’s Ant Man due to the all encompassing phrase ‘creative differences’.
A similar situation has now arisen, by happenstance on another Marvel project, as director Bassam Tariq has left production of Blade just a few weeks before production was due to begin in November.
In a stoic statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel said that “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. We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.
Oscar winner Mahershala Ali stars in the title role, alongside Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre.
This iteration of Blade has had a troubled production from the beginning. Plagued by script problems, with numerous writers working on it, production delays and now no director, it is expected that the start of production will have to be put back as Marvel searches for a new director.
Stacy Osei-Kuffour was the original writer, before Moon Knight writer Beau DeMayo was brought on to rewrite the script.
Blade was due to be released on the 3rd November 2023, though that is now likely to change.
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