Marvel Studios will have to go back to the drawing board on its Blade reboot, as the project has lost a second director.
The Wrap reported on Wednesday evening that Yann Demange (White Boy Rick, ’71) had departed the upcoming superhero film that has two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali attached to star as the sword-wielding vampire.
Ali was announced to play Blade in summer 2019, and the project has swirled about in pre-production ever since. Demange joins Mogul Mowgli filmmaker Bassam Tariq as the second person to leave the project, as the former boarded the Blade project in November 2022 after Tariq’s exit.
With Demange’s departure, Marvel will either have to delay the film once more from its Nov. 7, 2025, release date or scramble to find a replacement.
With the source material stepped in the horror/thriller genre, the studio will have to be careful when identifying a third possible candidate to helm the project. However, plenty of good options are out there for the studio.
Here are our five suggestions that might be able to finally get Blade ’25 over the finish line and potentially to its 2025 release date.
Aneesh Chaganty
After strong work on innovative thrillers like Searching and Run, Chaganty deserves his call up to the majors. He’d be an inspired pick that could bring a fresh perspective to the MCU, particularly with the way he mounted an impressive Hitchcock riff with the severely underrated Hulu thriller Run. Marvel should consider giving him a call to hear his vision for a Blade flick.
Robert Rodriguez
If Marvel wants a steady hand who has both worked with Ali and knows vampires well, Rodriguez would be a really nice fit. He worked in the fangs department with From Dusk Till Dawn, and he directed Ali as one of the antagonists in his Alita: Battle Angel adaptation. Rodriguez has worked for decades as one of the most interesting genre filmmakers out there, and he recently worked with Disney on The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Watching Rodriguez direct Ali as Blade just sounds too enticing.
Misha Green
If Marvel likes the talent pool from Lovecraft Country (Demange helmed the pilot), why not get the showrunner? Green is working on her directorial debut with Lionsgate right now, but perhaps she’s got time to work in the Blade reboot into her schedule? She’s clearly got the genre understanding and the television experience Marvel likes in its directors, and it’d be great for Green to get this type of opportunity after Lovecraft Country‘s unfortunate end.
Victoria Mahoney
Speaking of Lovecraft Country veterans, Mahoney directed an episode of the action-horror series and has just helmed The Old Guard 2 for Netflix. She was also the first woman to hold directorial duties on a Star Wars film in 2019 with her second unit work on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If her schedule opens up for Marvel’s timeline, they should absolutely give her a call for the Blade movie. Her work within the Mouse House would be key here, as she knows what goes into making one of its tentpole films.
Steven Caple Jr.
Caple has turned in two successful studio blockbusters in his career with Creed II and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and he’d give Marvel someone who has worked with big canvases very recently who might prove himself to be a sound fit for what they want to do with Blade. His Creed II work in particular shows his eye for impressive action choreography, and that could translate very well for what a Blade movie would require.
