Kingsley Ben-Adir will reportedly play the antagonist in the upcoming Marvel Studios seriesSecret Invasionfor Disney+. Deadline reports that Ben-Adir, who plays Malcolm X in the acclaimed Regina King dramaOne Night in Miami, has been tapped to play a lead villain on the show, starring opposite returning Marvel stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. Marvel has not yet provided an official comment.
Little is known aboutSecret Invasionbeyond that the six-episode series will see Jackson and Mendelsohn reprising their respective roles asNick Fury and the Skrull Talosfrom the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series will feature a faction of shape-shifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years, but it’s unclear exactly which other characters will be included in the show. No other details have been divulged about Ben-Adir’s role.
Ben-Adir has recently made a name for himself with his breakout role as Malcolm X inOne Night in Miami. Directed by Regina King, the movie is about a fictional meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.). Met with immense critical acclaim and up for multiple Oscars,One Night in Miamihas personally earned Ben-Adir award recognition at the Gotham Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Satellite Awards.
Last year,Kingsley Ben-Adiralso played former United States President Barack Obama in the political miniseriesThe Comey Rule. The actor is also known for starring as pathologist Marcus Summer in the ITV drama seriesVeraHe has also had recurring roles on other TV shows likeHigh Fidelity,Peaky Blinders, andThe OA. Based on the attention he’s been receiving from his performance inOne Night in Miami, it’s not surprising to see him already lining up his next leading role.
While the MCU will continue to churn out new movies in theaters, Marvel Studios is also developing plenty of other shows forDisney+. This began in January with the release ofWandaVision, which was a tremendously big success as the most in-demand TV series in the world weeks after its premiere. The fun will continue with the premiere ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierthis week, followed by other titles to arrive in 2021 likeLoki,Ms. Marvel, andHawkeye.
Several other Marvel shows are in production at Disney+ as well. Production has begun on new shows based onShe-HulkandMoon Knightfor plans to release them both in 2022. Marvel has also announced the upcoming Disney+ showsIronheart,Armor Wars, and an untitled Wakanda series fromBlack Pantherwriter-director Ryan Coogler. Meanwhile, James Gunn is also writing and directing aGuardians of the Galaxyholiday special to premiere on Disney+, which will be filmed during the production ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In January, it was reported thatSecret Invasionwas scheduled to start shooting in early April 2021. A release date hasn’t yet been set for the upcoming show at Disney+, but it’s likely to arrive sometime in 2022. This news comes to us fromDeadline.
