Yann Demange ‘Blade’ Director Confirms the Movie’s “R” Rating

Marvel Studio’s ‘Blade’ has been one of the most anticipated and most troubling projects that we’ve covered in recent times. Rumors about the movie being developed resurfaced back in 2016, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the movie went into production, and this is where the trouble truly started. Bassam Tariq had stepped down as the director of the film due to shifts in the film’s production schedule.

Then, the production was shut down completely, and the movie remained in limbo as its release date was scheduled for September 2024, an initial release date that we’ve surpassed up at this point. Almost a year ago, Yann Demange took over the director duties with Michael Starrbury working on the new script. 

‘Blade’ was a project that Mahershala Ali, the actor bound to take the main titular role, was truly passionate about. The news that the production has shut down once again due to the Writers Guild of America Strike didn’t come as a surprise, and the movie’s release date, to no one’s surprise, was pushed to early 2023. The most recent rumors that we’ve covered were related to the possibility of ‘Blade’ being canceled altogether.

But the future for the project looks bright after all. Not only is ‘Blade’ being actively worked on, but the director, Yann Demange, revealed in his interview with Deadline that the movie would be “R” rated and how much it meant to him. 

They gave me the R, which is so important.

Yann also commented on what it was like working with Ali. 

But for Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor. I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen.

‘Blade’ is bound to be the second MCU movie confirmed to be rated “R” following ‘Deadpool 3.’ This shows a positive trend in creating more mature content. We’re honestly not sure how ‘Blade’ would work in any case without the R rating, as its impeccable, over-the-top action was what made the original trilogy so great. Recently, the upcoming series ‘Echo’ received a TV-MA rating, the first for MCU-based Disney+ shows.

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