Marvel is apparently still going full steam ahead on their long-awaited upcoming movie Blade, reportedly tapping a new director who has previously collaborated with Jonathan Majors.
The most recent development around the movie comes courtesy of World of Reel, who reported last week that Blade had signed-on Jeymes Samuel to direct the film. While Marvel has yet to officially confirm the news, the report claims the production company met with the director and was impressed enough to tap him for the movie.
Samuel, who also goes by his stage name The Bullitts, is known for previously helming films like They Die by Dawn, The Book of Clarence, and The Harder They Fall, the last of which was released in 2021 and featured Majors — the former Kang the Conqueror actor — in a starring role. World of Reel also reported that production on Blade will finally begin in November, after years of delays and shifting directors.
Indeed, Samuel is the third director to be attached to the project since it was greenlit way back in 2019. At that time, Blade was to be directed by Bassam Tariq, but he left the project in 2022. Then, White Boy Rick filmmaker Yann Demange was in talks to direct the movie, but he also departed around the same time that a new screenwriter was tapped to pen the script.
The only constant in the hiccup-prone production of Blade has been Mahershala Ali, who has been on board to star as the titular vampire hunter ever since the film’s announcement. It’s rumored that the Oscar-winner will star opposite Mia Goth, who’s playing Lilith, a vampire seeking the blood of Blade’s daughter, but actors like Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo have departed the project throughout its years-long production.
With so many delays and departures, Blade has been on the receiving end of criticism from both fans and members of the Blade universe. In June, Wesley Snipes — the star of the 1998 Blade — mocked Marvel for “still lookin for the secret sauce” in their remake. “Blade, lordylordylordy,” the actor wrote on X, “Daywalkers make it look easy, don’t they?”.
For his part, Stephen Dorff — who co-starred with Snipes in the first movie — said the Marvel remake of Blade is “going to be laughed at by everyone, because we already did it and made it the best.” In any case, World of Reel reports that despite being derided and in defiance of the delays, Marvel boss Kevin Feige still considers the project “a major priority” for the MCU.
While a release date is not yet known — at this point, we’re looking at 2050 — Blade is among a plethora of upcoming movies on Marvel’s calendar, including the Robert Downey Jr.-led Avengers: Doomsday, the star-studded The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the Venom threequel, Venom: The Last Dance.