“Blade” was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in the summer of 2019. The main role was cast Mahershala Ali, a two-time Oscar winner. The character made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the film “Eternals” from 2021 – in the post-credits scene we hear his voice. In earlier adaptations, Blade was played by Wesley Snipes.
The project quickly ran into problems. Its first director, Bassam Tariq, resigned after a year due to changes in the production calendar and creative differences. He was replaced by Yann Demange. In turn, the scriptwriters changed as many as five times. The release date has been pushed back many times, most recently to November 7, 2025.
One of the supporting roles was given to Aaron Pierre. It was not specified what character the actor would play. However, it is known that the casting process was very long. On the red carpet before the 55th NAACP Image Awards, Pierre revealed in an interview with Variety that he is no longer associated with the production. “The project has evolved and I am no longer part of it,” he said.
The actor preferred to focus on his upcoming films – “Mufasa: The Lion King”, in which he voiced the title character, and “Rebel Ridge” by Jeremy Saulnier. Viewers could see him earlier, among others, in the film “Old” and the series “Krypton” and “The Underground Railroad”.