It's no longer quite true that once an actor becomes a beloved part of one franchise, they can't find their footing in a different one, especially with major properties like Star Wars, DC and Marvel continuing to churn out projects on a regular basis. As such, fans were thrilled when former Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, Mother of Dragons and Burner of Innocents (only partially her official title), signed on to play a part in the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion. Now, Clarke has opened up about the real reason she decided to take on a role in yet another major franchise after her time on GOT.
Emilia Clarke spent eight seasons as an almost universally adored part of the Game of Thrones cast, where she took Daenerys Targaryen from scared outcast to determined leader and, later, somewhat crazed queen. The role put Clarke on the map, and has already brought her a wealth of other opportunities, including film roles in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Terminator Genisys. Now, with her part in Secret Invasion, she joins the MCU family, and she revealed to Comicbook why she wanted to work with Marvel after being involved in other big franchises, and noted:
I just think what they're doing right now is so exciting and so cool, and so on the cutting edge of it. I feel like they're like the Apple of this world. To be part of that family feels like, 'Oh my god, I'm in the cool kid crowd. That's so cool.' Honestly speaking, the people that are making this are what pushed me over the line to really wanting to do it. I just think that everyone's heart and heads are in the right place with this one.
I don't think I've ever heard it described quite this way before, but calling Marvel the "Apple" of the world of superhero movies makes total sense. When the MCU kicked off in 2008, it seemed like a lofty and nearly impossible proposition to have a shared universe of dozens of movies stretching across a decade or more, and that was even with the incredible success of Iron Man. And, the company not only managed it while becoming a (difficult to duplicate) template for other big screen superhero universes, but while learning from missteps, taking them in stride and not being afraid to try new things.
Honestly, it's great to hear that Emilia Clarke fan-girled at the thought of joining Marvel, and for her to admit that part of the reason she wanted to work on Secret Invasion is the feeling of being one of the "cool kid crowd." She nearly got her shot with a part in 2013's Iron Man 3, but a script change led to her debut in the MCU being delayed by nearly a decade, so she's probably also glad to finally be able to work on this series with the studio.
Secret Invasion will be based on the 2008 Marvel comics story of the same name, and deal with a sect of shape-shifting Skrulls who've spent years infiltrating various levels of society around the world in order to gain control. We don't know who Emilia Clarke will be playing in the series, which isn't set to film until later this year, just yet, but she'll be joined by Marvel stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, with newcomers Kingsley Ben-Adir, Christopher McDonald, and Olivia Colman all expected to help Secret Invasion round out its cast.
We don't know when Secret Invasion will hit Disney+, but there are sure to be plenty of intriguing tidbits of information revealed about the new show over the next several months. Until we know more, take a look at what you can watch in the coming weeks with our guide to 2021 summer TV premieres!
