Director Bassam Tariq Departs Blade, Marvel Issues Statement

Blade no longer has a director as Bassam Tariq has departed the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film.

No replacement director for Blade has been announced just yet. Currently, the film has a release date of November 3, 2023. It’s not known if the departure of Tariq will impact the production of the film starring Mahershala Ali or when it is released.

“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of Blade but will remain an executive producer on the film,” Marvel said in a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.”

Tariq also issued a statement saying that it’s been an honor to work with Marvel and that they “were able to put together a killer cast and crew.” As a result, Tariq is “eager to see where the next director takes the film.”

This is the second time that the iconic character has appeared in live-action films as the Blade trilogy from New Line Cinema helped shepherd comic books and superheroes to the big screen. Combined, the three films brought in over $400 million at the global box office. Blade was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan as a supporting character in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 in July 1973.

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