Marvel fans hopefully won’t have too long to wait for Disney Plus’ new mini-series Secret Invasion, as the much-anticipated series has kicked off filming in Leeds.
Inspired by the comic book story of the same name, the mini-series follows a long-term invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, a bunch of alien shapeshifters who have secretly taken the place of superheroes in the Marvel Universe with imposters over a period of years.
Samuel L Jackson is reprising his role as Nick Fury from the original film series, alongside Ben Mendelsohn as Fury’s extraterrestrial ally Talos, who was introduced in 2019’s Captain Marvel and returned briefly in that summer’s Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Olivia Colman and Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke are also joining the cast, though their roles are as yet undisclosed.
Bond Court and Greek Street in Leeds were given a Russian makeover for the filming this weekend (23rd January 2022).
Здесь нечего смотреть, Джеймс https://t.co/1F5Q1ZmZ4I
— Tom Riordan (@tomriordan) January 23, 2022
Read on for everything we know about Marvel’s Secret Invasion so far, and if you want to catch up before the show’s release use our Marvel movies order guide to binge every movie and series.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion release date rumours
Filming on Marvel’s Secret Invasion might have kicked off, but there’s no confirmed release date for the series just yet.
Some have speculated that the film could be a prologue to Captain Marvel 2, just as WandaVision was for Doctor Strange 2, with Brie Larson’s cosmic sequel currently scheduled for release in November 2022.
If this does prove to be the case, then Secret Invasion would obviously need to stream sometime before, with RadioTimes.com predicting a premiere in autumn 2022.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion cast
Marvel’s Secret Invasion was first announced in December 2020, with Samuel L Jackson confirmed to be reprising his role as Nick Fury, former director of SHIELD, who was last seen on a space station at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
As that film’s post-credits scene suggested, it appears that he has been working closely with the shapeshifting alien Talos, a member of the Skrulls played by Rogue One’s Ben Mendelsohn, who will co-star in the series.
The two first crossed paths during the events of Captain Marvel, which was set in the 1990s, which has led some to believe that this series could set up events that will unfold in the film’s sequel.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion gained much attention in April 2020 with two major casting announcements, that sent the project rocketing up fans most-wanted lists.
Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, Peep Show) was first revealed to be in talks for the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter, although there’s no word yet on who she could be playing.
The following day, Variety reported that Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke will also appear in the show, but again, they had no information on the nature of her role.
Previously, Kingsley Ben-Adir had been announced for a villainous role in the series (via Deadline), after earning widespread praise for his performance in Regina King’s drama One Night in Miami, where he played Malcolm X.
Who is Emilia Clarke playing in Marvel’s Secret Invasion?
Clarke’s character in Marvel’s Secret Invasion remains a mystery.
It has been speculated by fans that either Clarke or Coleman could be playing Veranke, the queen of the Skrulls and the leader of their attack on Earth in the original Secret Invasion comic book.
There has also been speculation from fans that Clarke has been cast as green-haired warrior Abigail Brand, but the first set photos from Marvel’s Secret Invasion, which you can see here, seem to suggest otherwise.
Other fans are convinced Clarke will play Talos’ grown-up daughter who has been living on Earth all this time.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion plot
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As is standard for any Marvel Studios production, plot details for Secret Invasion are being kept top secret for the time being, but we do know that the show will feature “a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years”.
If the comic books are any indication, it’s likely this rogue group will not wish to work in tandem with humanity, as Talos and his allies have, but rather take over the Earth for themselves following the loss of their homeworld.
The original Secret Invasion story saw several major Marvel superheroes replaced by Skrull imposters – think Invasion of the Body Snatchers and you’re on the right track – so this show could sow the seeds for that happening in the MCU.
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Is there a trailer for Marvel’s Secret Invasion?
There’s no trailer for Marvel’s Secret Invasion just yet and we’re not expecting one anytime soon as the series is yet to start filming.
However, in the meantime, there’s plenty of other Marvel content to dive into including WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, while upcoming series Loki recently dropped an action-packed trailer.
You can sign up to Disney Plus here for just £7.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year’s subscription, allowing you to stream the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows and films, as well as The Mandalorian and so much more.