It's no secret that Marvel Studios has the final say on its movies. Who could forget potential Black Widow director Lucrecia Martel's revelation that executives told her, "Don't worry about the action scenes; we will take care of that"?
Ultimately, Kevin Feige decides what we see on screen, and given that the MCU is a $35 billion franchise, it's hard to argue with the executive's approach. Still, for true auteurs, Marvel Studios may not be the best fit.
Blade is a rare failure for Feige. He had Oscar winner Mahershala Ali ready and willing to play the Daywalker, but couldn't agree on a vision for the R-rated horror movie despite going through multiple scripts and directors. Bassam Tariq was attached for upwards of a year, and was the filmmaker who came closest to bringing Blade back to theaters.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tariq offered some insights into working with Marvel Studios while promoting his new collaboration with Ali, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
"It’s so funny, in the Marvel world...they say this to you very kindly, they’re like, 'Look, this is a Marvel film directed by a person,'" Tariq revealed. "They crop into shots, they do a lot of things, and that’s fine, right?" Ali then chimed in to say, "Your name might not matter [Laughs]."
Tariq isn't bitter, though, as he hailed Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton as "phenomenal" and said what Black Panther helmer Ryan Coogler "has done is really incredible in their universe."
Crediting Feige for getting him to "think big and be ambitious," the filmmaker added that it's "what we did with whatever we were handed. We tried our best to give the best that we can and also respect audiences because I think that’s something that [Marvel] really thinks a lot about."
After attending premieres for MCU movies, Tariq saw how people "were connecting and seeing themselves in these characters," and came away feeling like, "'Oh, wow. This is really special. This isn’t just something to roll your eyes at.'"
While it initially seemed as if Ali might be trying to throw fans off the scent about Blade (rumour has it he'll show up as the anti-hero in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars), his repeated digs at the studio's inability to make the movie suggest he really is done with the project. That's a shame, and it leaves Blade's future in an uncertain place.
What are your hopes for the Daywalker in the MCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.