After establishing Keanu Reeves as the epitome of action heroes in the John Wick series, director Chad Stahelski is ready to take a swing at other franchises. Stahelski has expressed interest in collaborating with Disney, whether on a Star Wars project or the Marvel film Blade. Unfortunately, reports suggest that Mahershala Ali’s Blade has fixed Yann Demange as the director, and the studio is satisfied with this choice.
Stahelski also revealed that he was a big fan of anime, which influenced his style of filmmaking in John Wick. Blade fans also expect a similar style of making, as the theme of a vampire hunter closely aligns with the aesthetics of anime.
Chad Stahelski Expresses Interest In Directing Mahershala Ali’s Blade
After the hugely successful John Wick Chapter 4, Chad Stahelski is considering his next projects. The director recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz and discussed his cinematic aspirations, among other topics. During the conversation, Stahelski expressed his interest in entering two major blockbuster franchises.
As a Star Wars fan, Stahelski revealed that he would jump at the chance to direct a Star Wars movie if Disney were to offer it to him. He also added that he would take a swing at the Marvel film Blade, describing it as a project that “gets under [his] skin”. Chad Stahelski shared with Josh Horowitz:
“I’m a Star Wars guy, like the first Star Wars changed my life course. Maybe someday out there, Disney, if you’re listening. I’d take a swing at that. I challenge you to see if Disney could survive me. [For Marvel], of all the things out there, I’d take a swing at Blade in a second. Like that’s one that gets under my skin, like ‘Ah! I’d take a swing at that one.’”
Interestingly, Marvel is not an unfamiliar territory for Stahelski. He previously worked as the second-unit director on Captain America: Civil War and as a stunt artist in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He is also known for his stunt work on various X-Men films, and he is currently associated with the stunt work for the upcoming film, Deadpool 3.
Mahershala Ali’s Blade Finds Stability At Last
Blade project went through some production challenges at Marvel Studios. The project was announced in 2019 with Mahershala Ali as the lead, but other priority projects took precedence. Bassim Tariq was initially attached as the director, with Stacy Osei-Kuffour of Watchmen fame set to write the script. However, the delay in the production start date forced Tariq to quit the project.
Yann Demange was confirmed as the director in November 2022, but the film faced problems with the script. After Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury undertook a rewrite, with Nic Pizzolatto joining as another writer. However, Ali almost considered quitting the project over a script that relegated his character to a secondary role. According to Variety, the script was being rewritten from scratch in November, under screenwriter Michael Green of Logan fame.
The production, which was halted due to SAG-AFTRA strikes, is set to resume in mid-2024, and Ali seems to be enthusiastic about the film. The film will be made at a modest budget of $100 million and will hit theaters on November 7, 2025. Chad Stahelski’s John Wick movies are now available for streaming on Netflix.
