The Marvel Cinematic Universe has continued to struggle with one of their big reboots.
The MCU timeline has brought a lot of new faces into the franchise since Phase 4 kicked of The Multiverse Saga. However, one of the major heroes that was set to get reimagined for Marvel Studios was Blade, as Luke Cage’s Mahershala Ali revealed in 2019 that he was rejoining the franchise, but this time playing Eric Cross Brooks.
In a new interview with Vulture, Bassam Tariq, who was the first director to get hired for the Blade reboot, opened up more in details about the film, and the many creative issuses that the project faced behind-the-scenes. He began by sharing, “When you’re in a big project like Blade, what I found really difficult was there were a lot of different calibrations for everything. I didn’t know which way north was. Afterward, I had to kind of disconnect from everybody. I don’t know if that was the right thing to do, but it was one of those things where I had to find myself again.”
He admitted that when the development hell process began, it was a challenge. The director explained how “when you’re doing it at that level and it doesn’t work out, you’re like, S–t, I feel like a failure, because I couldn’t do the thing that I wanted to do well. You’re trying to recalibrate who you are. My wife, my children, and the Atlanta Muslim community really were there for me.” The filmmaker elaborated how his family and the Atlanta Muslim community “helped me reground myself and understand what it is that I really care about. They all knew me as the guy that’s directing Blade. And it was like, “Oh, he left? Snap, okay.” I was afraid they would always be asking about this or that, but nobody ever talked about it. We just moved on, and they didn’t really care, and it was so great to be around people that just didn’t give a s–t.”
After departing the reboot in 2022, Tariq “had to really ask myself, “What kind of a filmmaker do I want to be? Do I want to make films?” Because there’s a part of you that’s like, F–k, it’s been a few years now since I made Mogul Mowgli. COVID happened, the whole world shut down. Maybe I missed the train. And I think it was really important to shed that and realize, I’m more than just a filmmaker. I’m more than just these things that I’m holding on to.” Principal photography was eyed to start only two months before he exited the MCU installment, while remaining attached as an executive producer.
As the Blade reboot faced issues with the vision, Tariq explained that they “didn’t have a script. That’s what happened. They wouldn’t let me write the script, and life’s too short to make really disastrous things. But yes, we had an incredibly designed set that was beautiful.” He confirmed that it was initially going to be placed in the 1920s, adding that “we were going to have an incredible horse chase through it because the film took place in the 1920s. It began through a speakeasy where Blade would act drunk. It was a really amazing set piece. But we didn’t have all the pieces to really get it together, to be what it needed to be.”
He shared praise for production designer Stefania Cella and her team, saying how “she did such a phenomenal job of building this place. I was in awe. That’s the part that breaks my heart the most, all the craftsmen and craftswomen that were working on the thing. But all that energy also needs to be put into good words on the page, and that’s not a hit on any of the writers.” As the script went through many drafts, Tariq said, “The writers were working really hard. It was just — I think Kevin can admit to it, too — he had a lot on his plate. He was running so many different projects, and everything has to be approved by Kevin, at the end of the day. It’s his world, and rightfully so.”
Praising Feige for how he has “done such incredible films and he’s made massive amounts of money for Disney,” the director understood why “they’re going to trust him over me, who had made just one film. I made a film. I made Mogul Mowgli with a budget of $1.2 million, and we built this massive set that was the equivalent of like, ten Mogul Mowglis. So, of course the last word should go to Kevin. It makes perfect sense. We just never really had a script.”
Despite parting ways, Tariq still stands by Feige, and defends the Marvel Studios boss, who has received criticism in not getting the Blade movie up and running. He stated the following: “I want to be clear: I like Kevin. I’d love to talk to him if he sees it [Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.] He’s a good dude. I really dislike all this shit about like, “Marvel fumbled this. F–k Kevin Feige.” No, man. He’s got a lot on his plate, too much. And I think we also had this impossible task of trying to compete with the first superhero movie, which is Wesley Snipes’s iconic Blade. It’s really such a massive undertaking in a way that affected so many people.”
At the time of this writing, it’s unclear if Blade is even moving forward as an upcoming MCU movie, as Ali is no longer attached to the role. The actor stated in a July interview with GQ that he has moved on, sharing, “No offense to them. I’ve been doing this professionally for pushing 30 years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that what is for you is for you and what is not is not. For whatever reason, that project is not for me. If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother feels very much in alignment with the type of work I want to be known for. I don’t really want to be known for remakes. I’d love to do original work that resonates with people and impacts them in unique ways.”