#INTERVIEW: “SECRET INVASION”

The great Nick Fury returns for one last time in Marvel Studios’ SECRET INVASION. He’s back and he’s a wanted man. Samuel L. Jackson reprises the role of Nick Fury – now a remarkable fourteenth appearance -in this upcoming Disney+ Series, coming June 21, 2023.

So thrilled to join a press junket with the Cast and Creators of Marvel Studios’ SECRET INVASION. Joining us today were:

Kevin Feige
Jonathan Schwartz
Ali Selim (Director)
Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury)
Olivia Colman (Sonya Falsworth)
Emilia Clarke (G’iah)
Ben Mendelsohn (Talos)
Kingsley Ben-Adir (Gravik)
Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill)

Samuel L. Jackson tells us where we find him at in SECRET INVASION as we enter the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jackson: “This is my second appearance post-‘Snap’ and he’s kinda been gone for a while. He’s a little tired, a little vulnerable coming back to earth because he’s been summoned. And we’ll see what happens. He’s got a bad knee now.”.

Ben Mendelsohn retuns as Talos. We get to see his family and where he is in the present day. The Actor has the distinction of having appeared in the Spider-Man franchise, in addition to Captain Marvel.

Mendelsohn: “We find Talos in a difficult time. It’s a bad time. And Nick‘s been away a bit.”.

Jackson: “Yeah but if I hadn’t been away you wouldn’t have had that other job.”.

Mendelsohn: “Yeah, that’s actually true. I got to do a lot of things while he’s been away.”.

Cobie Smulders returns as Maria Hill, a long-recurring role in the MCU and she tells us where her character is at in SECRET INVASION.

Smulders: “Working with Sam is my favourite thing. He laughs, but it’s true. So it was really exciting to come back. But speaking of strain, I think the relationship is quite strained. She’s been calling and he hasn’t been answering.”.

Don Cheadle returns as Rhodey and comments on the first post-Stark-era in the MCU. This leads to his next project in the MCU, Armor Wars.

Cheadle: “I think we’re just finding out what’s happening with Rhodey as the Series goes on. He’s in a different role and we see him more as a political animal than we have in the past. We’ve seen him as a military man but now he’s in ways a right-hand of the President. A special envoy in that regard, but I’m looking forward to getting under the hood of who he is, seeing how this relationship with Nick Fury and the other Cast members evolves.”.

Kevin Feige tells us how exactly SECRET INVASION fits into Phase Five of the MCU.

Feige: “It’s present day MCU is what we’re calling it. It exists along the timeline the shows come out in. So post She-Hulk, post Blip and this exact present day in the MCU.”.

“There’s story points see over the course of the Series. Jonathan came into my office years ago when we were thinking about the kind of shows we wanted to do on Disney+. We thought about translating the story lines of SECRET INVASION in the comics into a darker, grittier Spy Show, which we hadn’t done. We love to do different genres for everything. This was an attempt to dive back into things we touched upon in The Winter Soldier, Captain America 2 but hadn’t in a while. And really delving into the tone of a Spy Show and seeing a different dynatmic between Fury and Talos in our ’90s Action Movie, Captain Marvel.

Jackson talks about finally unlifting a bit of mystery in Nick Fury.

Jackson: “The more you find out about him, the more you like him. It’s just like peeling the onion, and having a good time. You meet people I know and I’ve never had an in-depth scene with Don so that was like Manna. I’ve been waiting to do this for years. It was wonderful to do and have that abrasive thing and it’s great to have that relationship where I assumed it was that. And we go to his house. What kind of furniture does Nick Fury have? Does he have an island in his kitchen? Can he cook? Cooking with Fury!”.

Emilia Clarke tells us about what attracted her to joining the MCU here as G’iah.

Clarke: “All the people sitting right here. Who on earth would not want to be sitting right here with all these incredible people? Even just a single one of these people on their own is enough. Altogether, it’s completely undeniable.”.

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman also joins the MCU and is a scene-stealer. She talks about her character Sonya Falsworth’s and her relationship with Nick Fury.

Colman: “She works for MI6, she likes wearing red and she’s quite funny and potentially a little bit not that nice sometimes.”.

“I can’t really think of Nick and Sonya. I’m just so excited to meet Samuel L. Jackson! They have a lovely friendship although she does like do bully you with her heavies. It doesn’t strike me as much of a friendship, but they’ve got history. They trust each other I think, but maybe they don’t. I’ve already blown it. I won’t be invited back to another Press Conference. I can’t tell you anything about it, you’ll just have to wait and see!”.

Marvel Studios’ SECRET INVASION arrives June 21, 2023 on Disney+ Canada.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios/Disney)