Marvel’s Long-Awaited Blade Movie Has Lost Its Director (Again)

Hopefully nobody was holding their breath for Marvel’s Blade—already long-delayed, after being first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019—to make its most recently designated release date of November 7, 2025. The Mahershala Ali vampire vehicle, which has so far weathered the pandemic, the Hollywood strikes, and a previous director swap, will now no longer be helmed by Yann Damange, who’s been attached since late 2022.

This news comes from the Wrap, which writes “the parting with the French-Algerian filmmaker actually happened a while ago and it was entirely amicable,” and that Eric Pearson (Fantastic Four, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) is tooling away on Blade’s evolving script, which was previously worked on by Michael Starrbury. The Oscar-winning Ali is still said to be slated to star.

The trade reports that the November 2025 date is still in Marvel’s calendar, but it remains to be seen if the film and its star (who just joined Jurassic World 4‘s cast alongside Scarlett Johansson) will be able to make that happen. On the positive side, the Wrap notes, a further delay might actually be a good thing: “according to an insider with knowledge, getting Blade right is much more important than getting the film out,” especially now that Marvel is operating under a strategic new plan that will see fewer movies and TV shows being released each year.

What do you think: will Blade ever actually get made, much less hit that 2025 date? In the meantime, there are three Wesley Snipes Blade movies already available if you desperately need to scratch that daywalker itch.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.