Marvel’s ‘Blade’ Loses Its Director Just Before Start of Filming

Bassam Tariq has announced his departure from the director’s chair on Marvel’s upcoming Blade. The film has been under consideration for a long time, but now, it’s down to the wire. The movie was nearly done with pre-production and heading towards the start of production soon. The film is currently scheduled for release in November of 2023, and that timeline is now up in the air. With the tight release schedule the Marvel Cinematic Universe runs on, this could introduce some major problems, depending on how long it takes for everything to get moving from here.

In a statement, Tariq spoke a bit on his decision to leave but didn’t really get into a ton of details. He said: “It’s 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.” There are a number of reasons he might have left the film, from how big of a production it is to personal issues on set.

Tariq might not be directing the film anymore, but apparently, he’s still hanging around as an executive producer on the movie. Other directors have left part-way through production over the course of Marvel’s history, most notably Scott Derrickson on the recent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. (He was replaced by Sam Raimi.) Hopefully, they get something sorted out quickly. They could always shop the film around to a number of directors they have in mind for other films, or offer it to anyone else who may have expressed interest.