The script for Marvel Studios' highly anticipated Blade film starring Oscar-Winning actor Mahershala Ali is reportedly being overhauled by a new screenwriter. The news comes just days after the film's original director Bassam Tariq stepped down, now serving in an executive producer role.
Marvel Studios' Blade was first announced in 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con. Ali himself took the stage at the famous Hall H, dawning a baseball cap with the Blade logo. Ali will of course be playing the titular role of the half-vampire, half-human vampire slayer originally introduced in Marvel Comics. The character was first adapted on screen in the 1998 film of the same name, starring Wesley Snipes in a role that would go on to largely define his career. Snipes made two sequels, Blade II in 2002 and Blade: Trinity in 2004. Since then there have been no film adaptations of the character until Marvel Studios announced the new film starring Ali.
Although the new Blade film is still scheduled to release in theaters next year, the production has already been hit with several curveballs, including the departure of its original director. Now, as reported by The Direct, the film's script is being completely rewritten from top to bottom with a new screenwriter, just weeks before filming begins. Writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour penned the original script for the film, but she has been replaced by X-Men '97 and Moon Knight scribe Beau DeMayo. According to The Direct, Osei-Kuffour's script was set primarily in the 1920s and featured European Vampires, with rumors that the story would skip around to different time periods. However, with DeMayo replacing Osei-Kuffour, it's unclear how much of the original script will remain in the final product.
If DeMayo and Marvel Studios decide to keep the 1920s setting, then the MCU's Blade could serve as an origin story for the character. This would be in line with several other MCU original films, including Captain America: The First Avenger, which is set in the 1940s during WWII, and Captain Marvel, set primarily in the mid-90s. The 1998 Blade was also structured as an origin for the character but was largely set in the present day, with the character having been born in the late 1960s. This approach would fit with the character's comic book origin, as Blade was born in a London brothel in 1929 during his original comic run.
If the film maintains a period-piece setting, it would also be a unique opportunity for Marvel Studios, as the 1920s is an era that has yet to be explored in the MCU. At the moment it's impossible to say what elements will and won't be retained from the original script, but with a new writer and director at the helm, Marvel Studios is taking a big gamble with the first Blade film since 2004.
Ali's Blade has already made his MCU debut, but only in audible form. During a post-credits scene in the 2021 Marvel Studios film Eternals, Kit Harington's Dane Whitman (a.k.a. The Black Knight) looks upon The Ebony Blade, an ancient sword that belonged to his ancestor. Before the camera cuts to black, we hear Ali's voice ask him if he's really ready. This was later confirmed to be Ali, although the actor has yet to actually appear on-screen in the MCU.
Marvel Studios' Blade is currently set to be released in theaters on November 3rd, 2023.
Source: The Direct