We know for a fact that there's a BLADE reboot in the works at Marvel Studios; it was announced at the San Diego Comic Con last year, when it was also revealed that the film is going to star Mahershala Ali as the title character. We just have no idea when Marvel aims to get it into production – and in the meantime, directors are volunteering to take the helm.
Last year, we shared a quote from JOHN WICK's uncredited co-director David Leitch in which he said that he would "love to" direct BLADE. Now it turns out that he could have competition from his own JOHN WICK collaborator, Chad Stahelski, who has gone on to direct the two JOHN WICK sequels while Leitch focuses on other projects (like ATOMIC BLONDE, DEADPOOL 2, and HOBBS & SHAW).
Stahelski, who was second unit director on the superhero films CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and BIRDS OF PREY, told ComicBook.com that
I'm not a gigantic superhero guy, but I enjoy the movies. I love the AVENGERS. I loved CAPTAIN AMERICA. I like James Gunn's take on GUARDIANS. I really dig him as a director and what he's done with that. RAGNAROK, I felt was really funny. I thought that was clever. I've come around. If the opportunity ever came, I would like to take a stab at… the one that really jumps out to me would be like BLADE. If they were going to redo BLADE or something like that, just because I feel that one, for some reason, the vampire martial art action vibe. That would be a cool one to stretch and try and reinvent."
Going by the style and amazing action sequences of the JOHN WICK movies, it does seem like BLADE would be right up Stahelski's alley. I would love to see the character fight his way through hordes of vampires in a Stahelski-directed film, just like John Wick taking down armies of adversaries. Leitch would be a cool choice as well, but since he has already done DEADPOOL 2 I'm more interested in seeing what Stahelski could do with this.
Stahelski could run into scheduling issues, though. Soon he'll be directing the fourth and fifth JOHN WICK movies back-to-back.