Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali stepped out onstage during the San Diego Comic-Con, where producer Kevin Feige had announced that the actor would be playing the vampire slayer Blade.

However, that was six years ago. The film would have rebooted the character, first originated on screen by Wesley Snipes, and added him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Since then, the project has dropped numerous directors, lost cast members, and faced several delays. But even through all that turbulent development, Ali shared that he’s keen to start filming on Blade.