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Tag: Iman Vellani

  • Iman Vellani Teases Ms. Marvel’s Role in ‘Marvel Zombies’

    Iman Vellani Teases Ms. Marvel’s Role in ‘Marvel Zombies’

    Iman Vellani is slowly becoming the face of Marvel Studios’ iconic franchise. Robert Downey Jr. held that mantle for a long time and any inclusion of him in a film was a big selling point and if she keeps it up, she is slowly building up that role. She just recently appeared in The Marvels and while her next major live-action appearance is uncertain, she does have an animated project on the horizon.

    We still don’t know when we can expect it to release but Marvel Zombies is one of the next animated features set to release. First teases hinted at the same animation style as What If and highlighted it’s likely a unique what-if scenario from the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an interview with The Direct, Vellani reveals that not only did she already finish her work on the project but Kamala Khan will have a major role in it.

    We’ve done the whole thing. It was amazing. It was so much fun. And I love—there are a lot of cool characters in the ‘Marvel Zombies’ show. And Kamala is kind of the center of the show. They described it to me, it’s like, ‘She’s basically the Frodo of the story.’ And I was like, ‘That’s amazing.

    Iman Vellani

    She also highlights the excitement of having the character she started playing get to interact with various new characters through this animated style. Though, sadly, it seems they didn’t get a chance to record in a bigger group.

    And I get to interact and meet all these people along her journey. And, yes, they’re only the voices, and I don’t get to hear their voices in real-time. But just, it’s my fantasies, right? Like, knowing Kamala is going to interact with some really cool people, even if it’s just animation, is so special in a lot of ways.

    Iman Vellani

    So far, we know very little about Marvel Zombies which was at one point touted as the first major R-rated project by Marvel Studios. While Echo has seemingly already taken that mantle with its upcoming January release, it’s still exciting to get another hint at what’s to come and the inclusion of these actors in the animated adaptation of the beloved comic book series. Here’s hoping they might be allowed to include Ash at some point.

    Source: The Direct

  • Marvel Revives Ms. Marvel as a Mutant, Disney+ Star Writing the New Comic

    Marvel Revives Ms. Marvel as a Mutant, Disney+ Star Writing the New Comic

    It’s safe to say that the “death” of Ms. Marvel was probably one of the most controversial decisions by Marvel Comics. Yet, it seems they had some big moves happening while the special issue Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel remains a sour spot for some, there was a pretty expected strategy. Just as we were mourning the fallen hero, we already have an update on what we can expect from her comic’s future.

    The big reveal is that Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan in the Disney+ series, is actually co-writing the project alongside Sabir Pirzada, who worked on the series. Carlos Gomez and Adam Gorham are providing the art with Sara Pichelli involved with the comics’ main covers. As part of the reveal, Vellani reveals what it was like moving on from writing fan fiction to the real thing.

    This was way scarier than joining the MCU for me. Those projects feel like they live in their own dimension, so I guess I can separate myself easier. But you can hold a comic book! I’ve never written anything before in my entire life, but I have read many comics, so I just wrote what I would want to read. I was given a very professional tool to write what is essentially my own fan fiction.

    Iman Vellani

    Check out the cover for the new series.

    As the cover unveils, Ms. Marvel is moving on from her Inhuman story towards embracing a new identity. The first Muslim superhero for Marvel is now a mutant, just as it was revealed in the Disney+ series. For those still mad at this revelation, it was the creator’s original intention to have her a mutant but ended up as an Inhuman due to the story that was written at the time. Of course, we’ll see just how long Kamala is going to stick around with the X-Men before once again embracing her Captain Marvel roots, which will be the focus of the upcoming The Marvels film.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • Iman Vellani Shares How She Was Introduced to Ms. Marvel

    Iman Vellani Shares How She Was Introduced to Ms. Marvel

    Iman Vellani is living the dream. As a superfan of Marvel and the MCU, she now gets to play Kamala Khan, who is also a superfan of the heroes of her own world. She just happens to also gain out of this world abilities to become a superhero herself. On top of it all, she was a Pakistani-American who became an icon for many that wanted to see themselves in comics. That story isn’t too different for Vellani, as she shares in an interview with Variety.

    My first introduction to her was through “Ironheart”; she was on the cover of one of the comics and I was like “Who is this brown person?” I just went into a wormhole, falling in love with the character and the creators Sana Amanat and G. Willow Wilson. I watched their TED Talks and all their interviews and I was like “They have the dream job. I want to be them. They’re brown and they’re working at Marvel.”

    Iman Vellani

    It became a big inspiration for her, as it seemed like it would be possible for her to find a footing within the industry herself. They were an inspiration for Vellani just as much as the character in the comics.

    That was so incredibly eye-opening for me because I didn’t realize there was space for someone like me in the industry — and I know that sounds super cheesy or whatever, but it’s so true. Beyond representation on screen, seeing ethnic names in the credits matters so much. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in high school; I just wanted to try everything behind the camera, because I was really in love with the tech stuff, so seeing these people thriving working at Marvel was so inspiring.

    Iman Vellani

    Of course, there’s more to this story. Vellani shared how she connected with the character and how “very close to home” it was reading her stories, as she stands by her moral code as well as how her family and friends were important to her story.

    On top of that, Kamala was a Pakistani Muslim superhero fanatic; I was a Pakistani Muslim superhero fanatic. And [the story] wasn’t about her being Pakistani, or about being Muslim, it was about her being in love with superheroes and having this innate desire to want to help people and do the right thing because she has powers. She doesn’t know how to fight — she’s a 16-year-old kid — but she knows that she has to use them for good. She had such a strong moral code and I really admired how her family and friends were also part of her story and her friends. It felt very close to home. It felt like my life, like the comics were written about me, literally.

    Iman Vellani

    In a way, Vellani was the perfect choice to bring this character to life, as she connects with her in so many different ways. It’ll be exciting to see what she brings to the experience as the series has now started airing on Disney+ with more episodes on the way.

    Source: Variety

  • Iman Vellani on How Brie Larson Helped Prepare Her For Marvel Stardom

    Iman Vellani on How Brie Larson Helped Prepare Her For Marvel Stardom

    Marvel Studios’ latest superhero is Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Luckily for fans of her performance, the six-episode show won’t be the last time audiences see the teenage phenom from Jersey City. Vellani is set to reprise her role for the upcoming blockbuster film The Marvels alongside fellow returning heroes Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris. The project will act as a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel and will see Khan team up with Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau to fend off a currently-unknown new threat.

    In the comics and the show, Danvers’ Captain Marvel acts as somewhat of a mentor and idol to Khan. Speaking to Variety in a recent profile piece, Vellani revealed that she and Larson had very much the same relationship after the former was cast in her current role. She elaborated on the time the two spent together on and off the set:

    She was the sweetest. I was really shy and I felt like everything I wanted to ask would have been stupid, but she didn’t make me feel like that. She has such a warm presence and made our Zoom call intimate, telling me all about her experience. She was like, “Seriously, if your mom needs to talk to my mom, we can make that happen. Anything you need.” Any time I had any issue on set, I would text her and she’d make herself so available to answer my questions, as silly or small as they were.

    Iman Vellani on Brie Larson

    Vellani continued to explain how the Short Term 12 star helped prepare her for a life after Marvel. Larson was famously targeted by review bombs and sexist remarks following her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, and the actress evidently felt it was important to make sure her young protégé had someone on her side should the heat of fame start taking it’s toll:

    She really wanted to be there for me, because even though she was already an established actor, being in Marvel changed her career forever. The sheer amount of attention you get being a Marvel actor is completely unmatched to anything else in this industry, and she wanted to prep me for that mentally and hold my hand throughout it.

    Iman Vellani

    Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney+.

    Source: Variety