Blade Taps Director Bassam Tariq for Marvel’s Mahershala Ali 4gj6j Led Reboot: Report

Not due until 2023 at the earliest. 2r3d6z

By Akhil Arora | Updated: 20 July 2021 15:39 IST

Blade Taps Director Bassam Tariq for Marvel’s Mahershala Ali-Led Reboot: Report

Photo Credit: Pulse Films 59rn

Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed on the sets of Mogul Mowgli

Highlights

Blade MCU reboot movie doesn’t have a release date
Not part of Marvel’s Phase Four, but the future slate
Stacy Amma Osei-Kuffour is the writer on Blade movie

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Blade has found its director. Marvel Studios is reportedly in talks with Bassam Tariq to helm the Mahershala Ali-led Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot of the iconic vampire hunter. The 34-year-old American director is best known for directing Mogul Mowgli starring Riz Ahmed. Like Ahmed, Tariq also has Pakistani ancestry — unlike Ahmed, Tariq was born in Karachi before moving to the US at a young age. On Blade, Tariq will work off a screenplay being written by Stacy Amma Osei-Kuffour, who has worked on Damon Lindelof's Watchmen, Amazon's Hunters, and HBO's Run.

Marvel Studios began looking for a writer-director in autumn last year, the report claims, before switching to a strategy of a separate director and writer. Osei-Kuffour was hired in February. Post that, Marvel Studios narrowed its list of directors for Blade, Deadline adds, with meetings and presentations going on from March through June. With a star, writer, and director in place, Blade will now gear up for the next phase.

Marvel's Phase Four — Everything We Know

Filming isn't expected to being until July 2022 though, according to an earlier report. And it's not like Marvel is in any rush, since Blade isn't part of MCU's Phase Four. Moreover, its film schedule is packed tight anyhow until 2023. For the rest of this year, it has its first Asian lead in coming soon” to Disney+ Hotstar).

In 2022, we have four more Marvel movies. There's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5).

While Blade is new to the MCU, this wouldn't be the first take on the character. Wesley Snipes played the dhampir in a trilogy of live-action movies for New Line Cinema: 1998's Blade, 2002's Blade II, and 2004's Blade: Trinity. The rights to Blade reverted to Marvel Studios by August 2012, and though discussions took place with Snipes to reprise his character, they were ultimately scrapped as the powers that-be wanted him to integrate into the MCU. The Blade reboot was 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, making Ali one of a few actors to play two different characters in the MCU.

Marvel has yet to set a release date for Blade.

The recently-concluded first season of Loki is our focus this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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