Bassam Tarek has resigned as director of Marvel Studios’ Blades.
Tariq’s departure comes as a shock, as production on a brand new Marvel feature about the genre comedian e-book The Vampire Slayer was scheduled to begin in November. The film is about to star Mahershala Ali, as well as a fake featuring Delroy Lindo and Aaron Bier.
Although Tarek isn’t directing Blade, sources close to the situation note that the design will remain with the joint venture as a government product. It was first confirmed that the director will direct Blades in summer 2021.
A representative for Tariq could not be reached for comment.
It’s unclear how Tariq’s departure will affect the production timeline for Blade, which is set to run around November 3, 2023. Given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s timeline is so meticulously designed to feature stories in various films and TV series that affect subsequent entries, the massive delay in “Blades” could reshape Marvel Studios’ vast roster of content in abrupt fashion.
Tarek isn’t the main director returning from a Marvel Studios film, he’s already gone through a rigorous pre-production schedule. “The Unusual Physician” director Scott Derrickson dropped out of the film’s sequel, “The Unusual Physician in the Multiverse of Madness,” four months before the intentional production began. Sam Raimi later took over the joint venture.
Blade has been around for quite some time. The joint venture debuted at the San Diego Comedians Convention in 2019, and Ali was a shocker in the final scene of Marvel Studios’ Corridor H show. The arrival has been met with an enthusiastic response from followers, especially in person and online.
Ali is really making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in this position – the genre. The actor’s voice may be heard in the end credits of the 2021 film The Eternals, which reveals the Vampire Slayer talking to Package Harington’s character Dane Whitman.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Tarek’s departure from the director’s position.