#FIRSTLOOK: “SECRET INVASION” FINAL TRAILER

Today Disney+ released a brand-new trailer for Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion.” Don’t miss the last two episodes of this exciting espionage thriller that has Nick Fury trusting no one as he rushes to avert chaos.

In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion” stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlayne Woodard, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran, with Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle.

Ali Selim directs the series and executive produces along with fellow executive producers Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Samuel L. Jackson, Ali Selim, Kyle Bradstreet and Brian Tucker. Kyle Bradstreet is also the head writer, and Jennifer L. Booth, Allana Williams and Brant Englestein serve as co-executive producers.

Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion” is streaming now exclusively on Disney+. The series finale will stream on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

#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)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “SECRET INVASION”

Tonight, the trailer for Marvel Studios’ espionage thriller “Secret Invasion” debuted and is now available. Key art and stills are also available for the live-action, original series premiering June 21, 2023 exclusively on Disney+.

In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion” stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlayne Woodard, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran, with Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios Canada)

#FIRSTLOOK: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS CANADA 2022 HOLIDAY PREVIEW & “STRANGE WORLD” REVIEW

Our George Kozera had the pleasure of attending Walt Disney Studios Canada’s 2022 Holiday Preview, highlighting some of the Studio’s exciting upcoming theatrical and theatrical releases. Here’s a little sneak peek what we can expect after some first looks were offered at the event.

Highlights:

After a two-year absence due to COVID restrictions, it was pure joy to attend the Walt Disney Studios Canada press event for a light breakfast, previews of 2023 releases and a screening of STRANGE WORLD. Disney will be celebrating its 100^th Anniversary in 2023 and from what we saw, it will be a banner year for the studio and its audience, either theatrically or streaming on Disney+. Some of the preview highlights had us salivating in anticipation.

The Cinematography in the upcoming live action version of THE LITTLE MERMAID is astonishing and it will be spectacular viewing on the big screen. The same can be said for the Animated Feature ELEMENTAL, its vibrancy and colour palette is hypnotic. ANT MAN & THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA appears darker in tone and execution from the previous two movies, but any film with Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors, Evangeline Lilly and Bill Murray will have me first in line! Snippets of season three of THE MANDALORIAN has inspired me to binge-watch the first two seasons and WILLOW looks very interesting. But what really yanked my crank was SECRET INVASION, the Marvel mini-series starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn and award-winning magnet, Olivia Colman.

STRANGE WORLD is Disney’s first foray into the Animated Science-Fiction genre and it is a rollicking success. Jaeger Clade and his young son Searcher go on an expedition to cross the mountains to see what’s on the other side. Searcher comes across a mysterious plant, stays behind to extradite and harvest it back home and Jaeger continues on the journey solo. Fast-forward 25 years…Searcher is now the town’s most successful farmer as this plant has miraculous components and alongside his wife Meridian, his 16-year-old son Ethan and their three-legged dog, their life is blissful. Until they are told by Callisto that the roots source of this plant is being ambushed and they all need to explore the treacherous landscapes of Avalonia inhabited by surreal lifeforms to save it.

There is a myriad of reasons why I fell in love with STRANGE WORLD. The voice work from Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu and, especially, Jaboukie Young-White as Ethan is exceptional. The animated world of Avalonia is visually intoxicating and I genuinely appreciated that innumerable creatures there were not given annoyingly cute human characteristics. They don’t periodically break into song; they enhance the story and illicit smiles or dreaded anticipation. However, first and foremost, with a standing ovation and bouquets of flowers thrown onto the stage, Disney tackles diversity with gusto, class and bravado. From a “blink and you might miss it” scene of a background character in a wheelchair, to the fact that Searcher and Meridian are a biracial married couple, impressed me to the hilt. Most importantly, taking into account the controversy Disney experienced when it was alleged that one of the characters in its monster hit FROZEN may have been gay, Ethan has a schoolboy crush and it is a another boy. Kudos to Disney for not sensationalizing this and giving space to tell a story that can only be a learning opportunity to some young audience members struggling internally.

Excluding Animated Features from Pixar, STRANGE WORLD is my favourite Disney movie since BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Whereas I tend to abhor cinematic sequels, I would relish another opportunity to spend more time with the Clade family.

Walt Disney Studios Canada release STRANGE WORLD November 23, 2022.