The era of reboots of fan-favorite movies has dawned upon us ever since the 21st century started- some of them are worth watching while some are just a nostalgia cash-grab. Regardless, when the news was confirmed for an upcoming reboot of the Blade movies, it surely got us dancing on our feet.
Blade was officially announced back in 2019 at the San Diego Comic-Con to a lot of hype, but sadly we won’t be getting Wesley Snipes (we’ll get Mahershala Ali instead!) wearing the boots of Eric Brooks for the upcoming reboot of the swordsman. But at least we are getting the reboot, right? Well, it seems like we’re gonna have to wait a tad bit longer.
Bassam Tariq Abruptly Steps Down From The Director’s Chair
The final movie in the much popular Blade franchise Trinity was released in 2004, and almost one and a half decades have passed since we got to see Eric Brooks wield that awesome sword of his.
Production for a prequel trilogy for the character, with Blade (1998) director Stephen Norrington to direct, was confirmed to have started in 2008. But it never saw the day of light as Marvel Studios eventually captured the film rights for themselves, with the master plan of introducing the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fast forward to the current state of the confirmed Blade reboot, Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq was on the front seat of the movie as he got the directorial role for the reboot. As of now, he has stepped down from the role.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported that Tariq stepped down from the role in an unexpected fashion, and Marvel Studios followed with a statement regarding the whole incident-
“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.”
Tariq followed up on the statement with his own-
“Its 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.”
The departure of Tariq as the director is pretty sudden, considering the fact that the filming process was due to start this fall in about a week. Marvel Studios is reportedly searching for a new director as we speak, and Marvel’s Twitter army is in complete agreement that John Wick director Chad Stahelski should take over-
They need to call Chad stahelski asap 👀 https://t.co/LH6E1mqGj4
— IAMDELROY (@GT_ICON) September 28, 2022
A John Wick-style Blade movie, you love to hear it! –
I think Chad stahelski should direct Blade 👈🙏 it will be first option for him please he's very interesting directing that movie and also met Marvel studios plus he directed John wick movies or something else pic.twitter.com/97hpQnKbSD
— Jimmy Ramos (@jimmylegends34) September 28, 2022
More emphasis-
To be honest I will love love Chad stahelski direct Blade come on who better yet he direct John wick movie that I love that movie and he says he's very interesting sign me up I'm beat down for it 👈🙏 pic.twitter.com/hLBo4fXPaq
— Jimmy Ramos (@jimmylegends34) September 28, 2022
The action sequences are going to be packed-
Enter Chad Stahelski 🙏
— 🇺🇦 Georgios Ioannis Pappas® ☘ 🏳️🌈 ⚧ (@LongLiveThanos) September 28, 2022
Fans really want him as the main man behind the screen-
I know what about Chad stahelski should direct blade movie be perfect fit for him he directed John wick movies 👈🙏 pic.twitter.com/FwbtAqL3lw
— Jimmy Ramos (@jimmylegends34) September 28, 2022
A director of Chad Stahelski’s repute taking over the new Blade reboot would be huge, and it would definitely give us a fresh take on the action scenes in Marvel movies.
About That Blade Cameo In Werewolf By Night
Blade’s off-screen cameo in the post-credits scene of Eternals got fans super-excited to see Mahershala Ali’s portrayal of the character even more.
The off-screen cameo surely sparked excitement for the character, but also cooked up some rumors about an Eric Brooks cameo in future MCU projects, with one of the top movies for a possible cameo for Brooks being Werewolf by Night.
Related: Wesley Snipes Believes MCU’s Blade Reboot Can Work Perfectly With PG-13 Rating
The rumors make perfect sense, Brooks is a serial killer when it comes to killing beasts and monsters in the Marvel Universe, and a werewolf is a no lesser beast.
However, Werewolf by Night director Michael Giacchino has kind of debunked the whole rumor surrounding Blade’s cameo in the upcoming Marvel special. Speaking to One Take News, Giacchino said-
“You know what, rumours are insanely inaccurate I would say… 99.9% of the time.”
That’s quite distressing to hear, but he doesn’t rule out a connection-
“The thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is everyone thinks that every single thing is going to be connected. EVERY single thing. And it doesn’t mean that we’re not connected
However, the director affirms with a hint that it’s not necessary to “always show them together.”
We can sign off a Blade cameo in the upcoming Werewolf by Night special for now. But with Bassam Tariq’s departure, and the filming for the reboot not having begun yet, Mahershala Ali could potentially have some free space for a while for a cameo at least!
The Blade reboot will hit theaters on November 3, 2023, right after Halloween.
Source: Twitter
