Blade: Top Marvel Candidates to Take Over Directing

Marvel's revival of Blade lost director Bassam Tariq about two weeks ago, and so far, the search for a replacement is looking like a tall order. The project was supposed to be heading into principal photography, but everything ground to a halt after Tariq's departure, with Disney revealing yesterday that a number of theatrical projects have been shifted around, and Blade is now expected to be released ten months later than previously planned, with the release date pushed back to September 6, 2024. The project is being rewritten by Moon Knight's Beau DeMayo, but there have been no credible rumors yet as to just who would take on the film. 

A Marvel source earlier this month said that they "really want to get it right," and that hitting the pause button on the film's production allows them to cast a wider net of potential replacement directors. Of course, Marvel has increasingly been bringing the same filmmakers back over and over, so could there be a Marvel director ready to take on the gig?

Jon Watts recently departed Fantastic Four in favor of directing a Star Wars project, and was replaced almost immediately by WandaVision's Matt Shakman. Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is taking on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and while it's a bit of a stretch, we're going to count Sam Raimi's Marvel return, filling in for a departing Scott Derrickson on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

So -- who might take on Blade?

This week's fan-favorite candidate might be acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino, who introduced the horror side of the MCU with Werewolf By Night, and knocked that one out of the park...Blade Easter eggs and all.

Another obvious choice, if you're looking to hire within the Marvel family, would be Raimi. It might be kind of wonky optics to once again call him in to cover a film that lost its director, but at the same time, it worked out for Doctor Strange 2, which made a boatload of money at the box office. And obviously Raimi has the requisite horror chops.

Mohamed Diab, who directed half of the Moon Knight episodes, has to be in the conversation, too. The filmmaker gave it a credible, creepy feel that would suit Blade without going full horror. While it's tempting to think of Blade as being a horror character -- you know, vampires and all! -- it's also worth remembering that the original film trilogy was essentially just a bombastic action franchise with some superficial horror trappings.

Ryan Coogler is a name that has already turned up on social media a few times. The Creed and Black Panther director feels like a longshot, becuase while he's currently amping up to promote a new Marvel movie, he has expressed how hard it has been to do that film without Chadwick Boseman, and suggested that he briefly considered just not directing at all anymore. It's likely he will need some downtime after a lengthy (and likely emotional) press tour.

And, this one isn't quite a Marvel director, but certainly it's something that people have to at least entertain: Guillermo del Toro. The filmmaker always seems to be over-committed, with projects that never really materialize, but one of the things that made him a household name was his work on Blade II. And while Blade's Stephen Norrington hasn't directed another feature film since the  disaster of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Blade: Trinity's David Goyer is divisive among fans, del Toro continues to be beloved, and his films are always of a high quality when they finally come out.

Who do you want to see take over the Blade franchise? Sound off below.