At last summer’s Comic-Con, Marvel Studios announced that the iconic vampire hunter Blade – made iconic by Wesley Snipes on the big screen – would be joining the MCU. Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has been cast to play the MCU’s rebooted version of the character.
He’s expected to debut in Phase 5 (and Phase 4 hasn’t even begun yet), so little is known about exactly how the character will be incorporated into the franchise. If Disney would be so bold, an R rating would be nice. Here are 10 directors who could bring Mahershala Ali’s incarnation of Blade to the screen.
James Wan
About a year ago, it was reported that James Wan had pitched a Blade movie to Marvel Studios. Wan has helmed both gritty, small-scale horror efforts (Saw, Insidious, etc.) and effects-driven, large-scale blockbusters (Furious 7, Aquaman, etc.), so he’d be a perfect fit for a Blade movie.
Wan will be busy with his commitments to the Aquaman franchise and The Conjuring cinematic universe for a while, but this may not be an issue, as it seems as though Blade’s MCU introduction is still a few years away.
Barry Jenkins
Some of Marvel’s best directors – Ryan Coogler, Taika Waititi, the Russo brothers, etc. – were known for helming small, muted, character-focused projects as opposed to big-budgeted spectacles. The tricks from the low-budget filmmaking playbook have proven to be transferrable to blockbuster cinema.
Barry Jenkins, who directed Mahershala Ali to his first Oscar in Moonlight and then proved he wasn’t a one-trick pony with If Beale Street Could Talk, could bring a real humanity to Blade. This cerebral quality would help to differentiate the MCU’s Blade franchise from the one-liner-based thrills of the Wesley Snipes trilogy.
Edgar Wright
What a Blade movie really needs is a director who can blend horror and humor. Wesley Snipes brought a zaniness to the character that redefined his comic book counterpart. Edgar Wright masterfully blended the horror and comedy genres with his so-called “zom-rom-com” Shaun of the Dead.
He’d probably be hesitant to work with Marvel after the creative pushing and shoving that went on when he was at the helm of Ant-Man, but if the two parties can get over their differences, a Wright-directed Blade movie could be great.
Fede Álvarez
Marvel initially approached Don’t Breathe director Fede Álvarez to helm 2016’s Doctor Strange, but he turned them down, fearing a lack of creative control. He’s one of the leading pioneers of modern horror, so he’d be an ideal pick to bring Blade into the MCU.
Across his filmography, Álvarez has proven time and time again that he can use cinematography and editing to build suspense masterfully. Plus, as shown by his spectacular Evil Dead remake, he’s well-versed in finding new arenas within an established, familiar franchise.
David Leitch
In fan discussions of who should direct the new Blade movie, a lot of horror directors are coming up. But maybe this movie doesn’t need a horror director; maybe it needs an action director.
With John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Hobbs & Shaw, David Leitch has proven himself to be a formidable director of visceral, engaging action sequences, while Deadpool 2 showed us how fun a Leitch-helmed R-rated comic book extravaganza can be.
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell’s recent reboot of The Invisible Man proved he can take old horror concepts, transplant them into a modern setting, and deliver a satisfying, chilling, scary movie.
Whannell’s work with the Saw and Insidious franchises prove that he’s adept at franchise horror, too. The brutal fight scenes in Upgrade also showed that Whannell can spearhead intense action, which could serve a Blade movie well.
Mike Flanagan
One of the leading voices in commercial horror cinema, Mike Flanagan seems hellbent on turning every Stephen King novel into a movie, from Gerald’s Game to Doctor Sleep.
It scribe Gary Dauberman recently signed on to direct a new adaptation of King’s vampire-infested opus Salem’s Lot. So, if Flanagan wants to make a vampire movie, Salem’s Lot is off the table. He could helm Marvel’s Blade reboot instead.
S. Craig Zahler
A leading figure in modern grindhouse, S. Craig Zahler has delivered gut-wrenching violence in movies like Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete.
He blended genres brilliantly in Bone Tomahawk, so he could helm a Blade movie as a twisted, ultraviolent, action-packed bonanza of comic book horror.
Guillermo Del Toro
Having already directed a Blade movie (the brilliant Blade II) and also having pledged to take a break from filmmaking following the tremendous success of his masterpiece The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro probably wouldn’t want to direct a Blade movie for the MCU.
But if he was willing to do it, the moviegoing community would be grateful. Del Toro has always done a great job of using genre stories to convey social commentary, and an MCU Blade reboot would present a lucrative opportunity for that.
Jordan Peele
Although he’s gone on record as saying he’s not interested in directing a Marvel movie, and that he wants to focus on telling original stories, Jordan Peele would be the perfect choice to direct the MCU’s first Blade movie.
Peele is a massive horror buff whose specialty is putting fresh spins on familiar genres: Get Out layers social critique over a haunted house setup; the second half of Us uses humanity’s fear of itself to present a unique take on a typical zombie apocalypse narrative. Helming a Blade movie could present an opportunity for Peele to offer his unique take on the vampire myth, harking back to Nosferatu and Vampyr.