Marvel’s new Blade film has been paused indefinitely as a result of the ongoing WGA Strike. While this isn’t the first time the seemingly cursed project has suffered a setback, a new rumor suggests there have been several other major changes behind the scenes that the public has been kept in the dark about. Moreover, it appears that all of those changes relate to the film’s cast.
According to reliable industry insider Daniel RPK, it seems as if Aaron Pierre and Milay Ray are no longer a part of the film’s cast. He posted this tidbit of information over the weekend on his exclusive Patreon.
He says that the reason for Pierre’s departure from the project is due to his character no longer being in the film’s script. While not confirmed, this makes sense considering that Pierre joined the project early on when it was being developed by the film’s first director Bassam Tariq. Both Michael Starburry and Nic Pizzolatto have worked on the script since, though Pizzolatto barely got a chance to make a dent in the story before the strike began.
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He doesn’t provide too much context around Ray’s departure, but does say the plan was for her to play Blade’s daughter. Rather than say the character has been removed from the story like Pierre’s, he adds that the studio is looking to recast the role.
Another thing to consider is that many of these actors signed on so long ago. With the film’s production being so unstable and shifting often, it is possible that the Ray may have had a simply scheduling conflict. Once again, that is pure speculation. Nothing is confirmed.
Lastly, RPK revealed that Mia Goth will indeed play a character named Lilith, though it’s unclear which Marvel character with that name she’ll be playing exactly. He also says it’s possible she’ll play a combination of the two.
He also revealed that Delroy Lindo is playing Deacon Frost, a long-time rival of Blade. While many initially believed he would playing the man who raised Blade as a child, Jamal Afari, RPK clarifies that role has instead gone to the multifaceted actor, singer, and poet Saul Williams.
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Now, as always, because none of this information has been confirmed by Marvel or any of the major trades, we urge you to take it with a grain of salt. Considering RPK’s track record, however, we are inclined to believe there is some truth to his claims.
Yann Demange (White Boy Rick) is still slated to direct the project, taking over for Bassam Tariq, who departed late last year over creative differences
Mahershala Ali is still on board as the titular character, who was famously played by Wesley Snipes in the 2000’s trilogy. Aaron Pierre, Delroy Lindo, are also still attached to star in currently unknown roles. We got to hear Ali’s Blade in a post-credit scene in 2021’s Eternals.
Blade was scheduled to hit theaters on September 6, 2024. With this new delay, it’s unclear if it will still make that date.
SOURCE: Daniel RPK
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