It was recently reported that Bassam Tariq will take the helm of Blade for Marvel Studios, and the filmmaker has now confirmed that he's the latest director to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The reboot will bring the Vampire Hunter into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali taking on the title role. As for what it's been like to make the leap into blockbuster territory, Tariq admits to being surprised that a project like this one actually ended up heading his way.
"I didn’t think [‘Blade’] was going to happen, just to be very honest," he tells The Playlist. "I’m honored and it’s a privilege, but I’m here in service of Stacy Osei-Kuffour, who is the incredible writer that is writing the film. She’s just a phenomenal presence and a juggernaut in her own right. And for Mahershala [Ali]. For me, it’s really just working in their service."
"[Marvel] takes big swings, you know?" Tariq added. "I can’t say anything about it, but I’m just so excited for what we’re doing."
Needless to say, he was giving nothing away when it comes to what fans can expect, but it sounds like Blade's lack of history in the comic books has opened the door to the character being taken to some unexpected places. There are a lot of stories featuring Blade, of course, but he's gone from being the focus of more horror-focused comics to joining The Avengers over the past few years!
"Character is very important for me. I don’t think of genre, I think of character," Tariq teases. "It’s not so boxed in as people imagine it to be [working with Marvel Studios]. It’s quite exciting. And I think the reality is there is no ‘Blade’ canon, you know? If you ever read the comics, they’re always changing…Unfortunately, the [comic book series] never lasted that long."
Blade still doesn't have a release date, though we are anticipating it either being at the end of Phase 4 or sometime in Phase 5. It's possible Ali will appear as the character before this solo outing, of course, but bringing vampires into the MCU is bound to have major consequences for this shared world.