Marvel Studios is in a new phase of movies with the recent premiere of WandaVision. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, the shared cinematic universe is entering a new phase of storytelling as well.
One of the new stories to premiere in this new phase is Marvel Studios’ Blade. The new iteration of Blade will star Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali as the comic book vampire hybrid that hunts his own kind.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studio’s Blade writer confirmed now as Stacy Osei-Kuffour. Osie-Kuffour’s previous writing credits include the recent HBO critical hit, Watchmen.
Marvel Studios’ Blade is the second iteration of the character.
This is great news for Marvel Studios’ Blade, given the writer’s penchant for adaptations and telling Black stories. Blade himself is the story of a half-vampire who hunts vampires, due to his intense animosity for them.
Blade was originally one of the Marvel Comics’ properties to which Twentieth Century Fox had the rights. Fox’s version of the character spawned three movies starring Wesley Snipes in the titular role.
With Disney’s purchase of Fox, the property now returned to Marvel Studios. The company then announced the reboot of Blade, starring Ali during the Marvel Studios Comic-Con 2019 panel.
Mahershala Ali’s Blade will be part of the MCU, so writer Osie-Kuffour joining the project is sure to get fans excited for the movie even more.
Marvel Studios’ Blade writer confirmation may see a unique story from the franchise.
HBO’s Watchmen was an adaptation of the critically acclaimed Alan Moore comic book franchise. Osie-Kuffour, along with creator Damon Lindelof and others, adapted the story as a sequel set in the modern-day and very much told a superhero story steeped in the Black experience.
So her ability to adapt the story of Blade, a Black anti-hero from the Marvel Comics universe, is something to be very much excited for. Especially given that the Blade property featured a live-action superhero movie that even predated the much-beloved Black Panther.
Osie-Kuffour’s ability to tell a story about such a character is sure to make fans that much more interested in the project. Especially if the movie is given an R-rating, like its predecessors.
Blade will also be the first Marvel Studios movie written entirely by a Black woman. There is also confirmation that Ali was directly involved in the hiring of Osie-Kuffour, which makes sense given the actor’s own perchance for telling meaningful stories about people of color.
There is currently no release date for Marvel Studios’ Blade movie.