Marvel’s reboot of the Blade movie is set to have Mahershala Ali play the character. Director Bassm Tariq says that the comics canon won’t impose any restrictions on the movie. Wesley Snipes made his cinematic debut by impersonating the character of the vampire hunter as Blade in 1998. Blade II was released in 2002 and the last installment, Blade: Trinity came out in 2004. While the trilogy failed to please the critics, it managed to have performed fair in economic standards.
Kevin Feige has long acquired the rights for the remake of the movie franchise. In 2019, at the San Diego comic-con, Kevin made an announcement regarding his plans. He said the idea for the movie was under works, and that Mahershala Ali will play the nominal character of the vampire hunter.
Marvel Studios’ Blade is making fast-paced progress ever since Kevin Feige made the announcement. Marvel brought in Emmy award-nominated writer, Stacy Osei-Kuffour to be the main writer for the project. Stacy, who also won the Writers Guild Award for HBO’s Watchmen, is believed to be leading the development process.
Besides this, director Bassam Tariq, who made Riz Ahmed’s Mogul Mowgli has been capped by Marvel as well. The American filmmaker already has big plans for the next Marvel Cinematic Universe’s epic record-breaker. But since Mahershala Ali is the only confirmed cast member for the movie in the last two years, there are chances that the shoot could be delayed to start sometime next summer.
In Conversation With Bassam Tariq, via Gizmodo
Currently, director Bassam Tariq has been dropping teasers for MCU’s Blade alongside promotions of this latest movie, Mogul Mowgli starring Riz Ahmed. Tariq recently appeared on The Playlist Podcast powered by Gizmodo and hinted on some news regarding the movie. While writer Osei-Kuffour hasn’t revealed anything about the storyline, Tariq made sure to give Marvel credit for providing them with the liberty to get experimental. Since there is no news about a comics canon restricting the film, we are bound to see the pair go above and beyond to deliver a great spectacle. Here is what Tariq said on the topic:
“What’s so great is it’s not as boxed in as I think people imagine it to be, which I thought it was. But it’s quite exciting, and I think the reality is there is no Blade canon. In some comics, his name is Fred H. Blade, you know, instead of Eric Brooks. Unfortunately, the runs never lasted that long, and there have been some interesting and exciting waves. But I can say [the new movie is] character first.”
A Rough Outline Of What The Blade Reboot Might Include
We have seen how the previous Marvel movies have always given their main character a backstory. In fact, with heroes like Spider-Man, there have been multiple franchises that have made it easier for the viewers to familiarise themselves with Peter Parker’s character. Which is why, Marvel’s version did not have to do much to get started. But with Blade, the scenario is quite different. Although Blade has shown up in the original comics on several occasions since the 1970s, and despite being one of the earliest characters to have made a film appearance, there is still a huge void when it comes to the characters origin story. So it is certain the audience would be expecting one, to get personally acquainted.
Bassam Tariq has pointed out how the Marvel Cinematic Universe lacks in having provided a concrete history on Blade. There has not even been an official canon yet. This is why, Tariq says, Marvel has been generous enough to give the director and writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour artistic liberty to create an ingenious portrayal of Blade. Because there is plenty of content for the duo to form a sketch from, it would be fun to see what road they take. Featuring Blade into the Marvel Cinematic Universe will definitely be a thrill to watch.
