Blade has been through hell and back, and the movie hasn’t even started filming. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective is writing the script. Blade‘s star Mahershala Ali starred in the third season of the show.
Blade is apparently begins production starting in May in Atlanta. Yann Demange who directed Lovecraft Country, is in the director’s chair. Recently it added Mia Goth to a cast including Ali and Delroy Lindo. The current Blade script was written by Michael Starrbury, but it’s unknown if Pizzolatto is scrapping his version entirely, or just improving on it. THR says their sources say it’s the latter.
The current release date for Blade is September 6th, 2024. A looming writer’s strike in Hollywood might change that plan though. The film has gone through multiple directors, and multiple writers, and has missed plenty of planned release dates. Pizzolatto made his name writing True Detective for HBO. The first season of the show starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. In the era of shows that capture audiences like Succession and The Last Of Us, it was among the first to really sink into the cultural zeitgeist.
Mahershala Ali starred in the third season of the show that was set in the Ozarks. He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance. Pizzolatto is currently working on a series adaptation of the Western classic The Magnificent Seven. The series is a take on his screenplay for the remake of The Magnificent Seven in 2016 which starred Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke.
Where Does Blade Come From?
Blade was created by writer Marv Wolfman (yes, a guy named Wolfman created a famous vampire) and artist Gene Colan in 1973. His debut issue was The Tomb of Dracula No. 10. Blade is a half-mortal, half-vampire who hunts vampires to avenge the death of his mother. As he was being born, a vampire bit and killed his mother, causing the half and half life.
The character is no stranger to the big screen. Although we haven’t had a portrayal of the character since Wesley Snipes took him on for a trilogy of films. The first Blade film is credited for saving Marvel Studios in the film sphere. It made a large profit at the box office at a point when Marvel was selling off massive amounts of their catalog.
Mahershala Ali was announced as Blade at the landmark 2019 San Diego Comic-Con presentation for Marvel Studios. Since then it’s been delay after delay and creatives coming and going on the project. We’ll have to see if they can get the project off the ground before the writer’s strike hits. It would be impressive if they can still make that September 2024 release date.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
