Pakistani-American Bassam Tariq in talks to direct Marvel Studio's new film Blade

Karachi born director and producer Bassam Tariq is currently in talks with Marvel Studios to direct its upcoming film Blade, according to Variety.

The movie is an off-shoot of the highly successful trilogy that began in 1998 with the movie Blade. It includes 2002’s Blade II and 2004’s Blade Trinity. The story revolved around a half human, half vampire vigilante who protected human beings from villainous vampire creatures.

Previously, Tariq co-directed the acclaimed documentary These Birds Walk, which revolves around the life of a runaway boy in Karachi and also highlights the humanitarian efforts of late philantrophist Abdul Sattar Edhi. The documentary was named one of the 50 best foreign films of the 21st century by the New Yorker. Tariq is also a TED Fellow and was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film".

According to Variety, the upcoming movie will star Muslim-American and Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali who is known for his performance in the movie Green Book. Ali was announced as the vigilante vampire hunter at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. Marvel Studios has not announced the exact date of the movie release. Blade is expected to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.