Don Cheadle excited to act with Samuel L. Jackson for the first time in Secret Invasion

Believe it or not, Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Don Cheadle (James Rhodes, aka War Machine) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) have never shared the screen together, despite both being part of the franchise for over a decade. A shared scene between the two friends is long overdue, and it finally comes in Disney+’s upcoming MCU show, Secret Invasion.

Cheadle and Jackson go way back; they were good friends years before the MCU existed. They both worked on Steven Soderbergh’s 1998 movie Out of Sight, but didn’t have any scenes together. Fast forward over two decades, and they finally got to work side-by-side in Secret Invasion. “Day one, we sat down and were like, ‘This should have happened a long time ago, but it’s great that it’s happening now,'” Cheadle told Entertainment Weekly. “Sam’s a good friend, and I’ve known him a long time. It was cool to be able to sit across from him and go back and forth.”

Secret Invasion is unlike anything the MCU has ever put out. It continues the story started in Captain Marvel, where Nick Fury offered the shape-shifting Skrull aliens refuge on Earth. However, many years later, the peace agreement has turned sour and Fury is tasked with uncovering a vast conspiracy.

Secret Invasion is Marvel meets The Bourne Identity

In recent years we’ve seen the franchise branch out into different genres, like how WandaVision brought in elements from sitcoms. According to Cheadle, Secret Invasion draws from classic espionage thrillers:

"It speaks to the elasticity of what the MCU can be. This one feels much closer to a movie like Bourne Identity or something that’s more along the tone of a ’70s movie. It’s not as much about the bells and whistles of big special effects. It’s more about the intrigue and drama, the espionage and double-crosses. And I still think it fits perfectly with what the MCU is able to do and pull off."

These shows allow us to spend time with characters we don’t get a lot of time with in the movies. Cheadle is excited for fans to see a new side of Rhodey. “The fun part about it is that we’re going to continue to explore Rhodey and — in some ways for the first time — get to see what makes him tick,” he teased. “We understand his physical challenges, but we haven’t really yet dug into a lot of his emotional and psychological [challenges].”

Secret Invasion premieres on Disney+ on June 21.

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