Marvel Studios has cast its first onscreen Muslim superhero, the character of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel. According to Deadline, the Pakistani-American teenage hero will be played by newcomer Iman Vellani, an 18-year-old actor from Canada. The character of Kamala Khan is a 16-year-old from New Jersey who discovers she has shapeshifting and super-healing powers. She was introduced in Marvel Comics in 2014 as the first Muslim superhero to star in her own titled series. Khan will get her own Disney+ series and also appear in future Marvel movies, according to Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, who has overseen the comics studio’s expansion into a global behemoth since 2008. Vellani as Khan will become part of a new wave of MCU superheroes — a more diverse group than the most recent crew of Avengers. Ms. Marvel is scheduled to release on Disney+ in 2021.
“Hocus Pocus” put a spell on moviegoers, and now it’s leading U.S. box office charts 27 years after originally premiering in theaters. Disney re-released the 1993 Halloween classic — starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as a trio of witches — this weekend on the big screen, where it collected $650,000 on Friday. “Hocus Pocus,” which is currently playing in 2,570 U.S. cinemas, is expected to generate $1 million in ticket sales over the weekend. Those box office receipts put “Hocus Pocus” ahead of more recent titles like “New Mutants,” Russell Crowe’s “Unhinged” and mystery-thriller “Infidel.” There’s a chance that Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” matched “Hocus Pocus” in terms of Friday earnings.
Netflix announced that Selena: The Series will premiere on Friday, Dec. 4. The news comes with a black-and-white teaser trailer featuring The Walking Dead‘s Christian Serratos in character and in concert as the iconic vocalist. The video was first shared via Twitter with the caption, “Every legend begins with a dream.” Selena: The Series has previously been described as a coming-of-age drama that follows Selena through the “heart-wrenching and life-changing choices” that she and her family must make as they navigate success in the music industry. The show will be split into two parts, with the first half spanning six hour-long episodes.