Aaron Pierre has stepped away from Marvel’s anticipated “Blade” movie, as confirmed by Variety.
On the red carpet at the 55th NAACP Image Awards, the actor shared this news with Variety.
Pierre mentioned that there were initial discussions about his involvement. However, as the project developed, he found himself no longer part of it.
Initially, Pierre was to act alongside Mahershala Ali, who is set to portray the iconic vampire hunter, a role Wesley Snipes famously played. Details about Pierre’s character were never disclosed, but his casting was the result of an extensive search. To date, Marvel has only confirmed Ali’s role as the lead vampire slayer.
Pierre’s departure is not the first hiccup for the “Blade” film, which has seen a challenging development phase. Since July 2021, the project has seen several directors and writers come and go. Bassam Tariq was first in line to direct, with Stacy Osei-Kuffour initially writing the script before leaving just two months before production was scheduled to start. Yann Demange then took over directing duties, with Michael Green stepping in as the screenwriter. According to Variety, the movie has had at least five writers involved.
In December 2023, Ali expressed optimism about the project’s direction to Entertainment Weekly. He mentioned being encouraged by the current state of the project and hinted at resuming work on it soon.
Ali also shared his excitement about the team leading the project, including the scriptwriting and directing.
Despite leaving “Blade,” Pierre is excited about his future projects. He highlighted his involvement in “Rebel Ridge” by Jeremy Saulnier and the prequel to “The Lion King” directed by Barry Jenkins. These projects, set to release this year, have Pierre and his team very excited to share them with the world.