Ms. Marvel is getting a brand new cast member, prominent Pakistani actor Mehwish Hayat, amid reports that the Disney Plus limited series is poised to undergo reshoots.
It’s unclear whether the reshoots and additional casting are connected, but considering that the show was originally meant to be released last year and is now slated for release later this year, it seems pretty late in the game for new actors joining the project.
The report of Hayat’s induction into the project comes from The Express Tribune (via TheDirect), who noted the actor’s role is still unknown, according to their sources, and they’ve reached out to Hayat for comment and are currently awaiting her response.
The actor is known for her Pakistani film and television roles, such as 2016’s Actor in Law, 2017’s Punjab Jaungi, and 2019’s Chhalawa. She joins two other prominent Pakistani actors already confirmed for the project, including Fawad Khan and Nimra Bucha.
Fawad had reportedly kept his involvement in the project under wraps for months before publicly confirming he would be involved, so Hayat’s involvement may be the result of keeping her role low-key as well, rather than as the result of reshoots.
But with that being said, a report came out earlier this week that indicated reshoots would be underway soon for the series. This comes after the project was delayed, and its estimated release date for Disney Plus is now expected for some time after the summer.
Ms. Marvel, which is expected to tie in heavily with the 2023 film The Marvels, will debut Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, a teenager whose idol is Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel. When Kamala later receives superpowers, she becomes a hero herself. The series represents the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Pakistani Muslim superhero.
