Christopher McDonald, who most notably played Shooter McGavin in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore, was recently cast in the upcoming Disney Plus series Secret Invasion. Reports suggest McDonald will be playing a newly created character who could cross over to the larger MCU.
Written by Mr. Robot's Kyle Bradstreet, Secret Invasion will focus on Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. Talos, the shape-shifting leader of the devious Skrulls, went undercover as Fury’s boss in Captain Marvel. The large ensemble cast of Secret Invasion also includes One Night in Miami breakout Kingsley Ben-Adir, Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, and Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke.
Over the course of his four-decade-long career, McDonald has appeared in acclaimed projects such as Thelma & Louise, Quiz Show, and Family Law. The 66-year-old was most recently seen alongside Kaitlin Olson and Paul W. Downs in the HBO Max comedy series Hacks. Earlier this year, McDonald and Sandler celebrated the 25th anniversary of Happy Gilmore by reprising their iconic roles in hilarious social media posts. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, Happy Gilmore is regarded as one of the best Sandler comedies to date. Deadline reports a Marvel representative declined to comment on the casting news.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion is based on an eight-issue limited series comic with the same name. Created by Brian Michael Bendis, the 2008 comic saw the Skrulls capture and pose as members of the Avengers. Early on in the series, Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Namor, Black Bolt, Professor Charles Xavier, and Doctor Strange teamed up and attempted to take down the Skrull Empire. Skulls were first introduced into the MCU in Captain Marvel and have been featured in several films since. In the post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far from Home, the Nick Fury and Maria Hill whom Peter Parker was working with were revealed to be Skrulls Talos and Soren in disguise. While plot details are being kept under wraps, Secret Invasion is expected to focus on the Skrulls' mission to invade and take over Earth.
Secret Invasion is one of several Marvel shows that will be released on Dinsey Plus over the next few years. Orphan Black breakout Tatiana Maslany is slated to star as Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk. The highly anticipated series centers on Walters, a New York lawyer who receives an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner and inherits a milder version of his Hulk powers. Kat Coiro and Anu Valia will be directing multiple episodes of She-Hulk, while Rick and Morty writer Jessica Gao will serve as executive producer and showrunner. The upcoming series is She-Hulk's live-action debut.
Meanwhile, Loki, which stars Tom Hiddleston as the title character and Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, will drop on the streaming platform this June. The six-episode Loki series was created by Michael Waldron and will take place following the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Secret Invasion is expected to be released on Disney Plus sometime in 2022.
Source: Deadline