It was inevitable that Marvel’s long-delayed Blade movie would lose some actors along the way. The film was announced way back in 2019 and it has been nothing but rewrites and rescheduled with very little progress. While star Mahershala Ali continues to hold on for dear life to this project, co-star Aaron Pierre revealed to Variety that he’s left.
“Early on, there were conversations,” Pierre said of his involvement. “As the project evolved, I’m no longer part of that — attached.”
By “evolved” he likely means the many rewrites the film has undergone. Stacy Osei-Kuffour wrote the original draft for initial director Bassam Tariq. Both exited Blade, however, with Yann Demange coming on to replace Tariq, while Michael Green (of Logan fame) took over the screenplay. As many as five writers have taken a crack at the script, though, including Nic Pizzolatto and Michael Starburry, so it’s been tough sledding.
Pierre was set to star alongside Ali and Mia Goth, although honestly, it’s unclear if she is still attached at this point.
Fortunately for Pierre, he has plenty of projects to keep him busy. He can currently be seen playing Malcolm X in season four of Genius. He also has Barry Jenkins’ Disney film Mufasa: The Lion King, and Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge.
