Marvel's Blade Movie Adds Watchmen Writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour
Marvel Studios hires Watchmen writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour to write the script for Mahershala Ali's solo Blade movie. In the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame's record-setting box office performance, Kevin Feige unveiled the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. The day was filled with expected announcements and a few surprises, with none being as big as the reveal Mahershala Ali will become Blade in the MCU.
It's been well over a year since Blade was announced, but Marvel has not rushed the development of their reboot. Marvel Studios had no plans to reboot the character Wesley Snipes previously played in the early 2000s before meeting with Ali. The actor, who was fresh off winning his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar, told Kevin Feige he wanted to join the MCU and play Blade. It was at that moment that the film started to materialize, but Marvel has never confirmed a creative team or release date for Blade. Thankfully, that is starting to change.
According to THR, Marvel Studios has hired Stacy Osei-Kuffour to write Blade. Osei-Kuffour served as a story editor and writer on HBO's recent hit series Watchmen. Her credits also include writing for Pen15 and being a story editor for Amazon's Hunters and HBO's Run. Her hiring comes after Marvel spent six months meeting with writers to discuss where the film could go. The studio only seriously considered Black writers, and Ali reportedly was directly involved in the process. It should also be noted that THR refers to the film as Blade, the Vampire Slayer - but that is so far an unofficial title for the movie.
With the hiring of Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Blade takes an important step forward at Marvel Studios and breaks a new barrier. Marvel has made a conscious effort to further diversify its heroes and the creative teams behind their various projects in recent years. And while they've done a good job hiring more women and people of color for lead roles and top creative positions, Osei-Kuffour becomes the first Black female writer on an MCU movie. As Osei-Kuffour begins writing Blade and refining the story, Marvel should begin to meet with potential directors soon.
Osei-Kuffour might only have a few credits to her name as a writer, but Marvel and Ali clearly chose her for a reason. Even as one of nine credited writers on Watchmen, her involvement in a show with superhero roots prominently featuring Black characters and stories could go a long way when it comes to making Blade the best it can be. Most fans might not immediately recognize Osei-Kuffour by name, but her hiring is an exciting development nevertheless. Marvel Studios' usual development cycle sees a writer brought aboard roughly two years before its intended release, so that should put Blade on track to be released in 2023.
Source: THR
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