Marvel’s Blade movie hits yet another snag as it loses its second director

Top Boy’s Yann Demange is no longer involved with Marvel’s upcoming Blade reboot, marking the second director to step away from the project since it was announced back in July 2019.

The reasons behind Demange’s exit remain unknown, but Deadline reports that the decision was “amicable”. The publication also claims that Mahershala Ali, who has been attached to the film for the last five years, is still on board to play the titular bloodsucker-turned-vampire hunter.

While it supposedly still has its lead, the movie is likely to be delayed even further now, having already suffered several snags and push backs. Before Demange signed on, Mogul Mowgli’s Bassam Tariq was lined up to direct. Production was geared up to kick off in Atlanta and New Orleans in July 2022, with Milan Ray, Delroy Lindo, and Aaron Pierre having been cast in supporting roles, with Marvel boss Kevin Feige declaring that it’d release in November 2023. But everything halted in the September, when Tariq demoted himself to executive producer due to scheduling conflicts.

At the same time, X-Men ’97 scribe Beau de Mayo was brought in as a new writer, tweaking the screenplay penned by Watchmen’s Stacy Osei-Kuffour. By the time Demange was brought in in November 2022, Michael Starrbury was working on the script. In April 2023, True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto came aboard as co-writer, while cinematographer Matthew Libatique stepped in to replace Damián García.