Today, The Hollywood Reporter announced that director Yann Demange and screenwriter Michael Starrbury have taken over duties on Marvel Studio’s Blade. The film was expected to begin filming this fall. Still, it was put on hold as star Mahershala Ali was not impressed with writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s original screenplay and the direction director Bassam Tariq was taking the film. The main concern was how light the original script was, as the monsters disintegrated with no blood. The story also took place in the 1920s.
After several pitches, the studio landed on Demange, best known for directing the pilot of HBO’s Lovecraft Country. While Starrbury recently won an Emmy for his work on When They See Us. The report also mentions that the new film will go even darker though it’s unknown if it will still be a full R-rating like the original films in the 1990s. Production will begin later this year in Atlanta.
Blade hits theaters Sept. 6, 2024