‘Secret Invasion’ Director Ali Selim Claims Original Co-Director Tom Bezucha Left Series Prior To Shooting In Favor Of Working On ‘Fargo’
Spencer Baculi
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According to Secret Invasion director Ali Selim, a reported scheduling conflict with the crime drama Fargo was responsible for the premature departure of original series co-director Tom Bezucha – though curiously, the production timeline for both series appears to throw a wrench in this claim.
Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) unleashes his true Super Skrull powers in Secret Invasion Season 1 Episode 6 “Home” (2023), Marvel Entertainment
Selim provided this apparent insight into Secret Invasion‘s production woes during an August appearance on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast [time stamp: 07:30].
Amidst a discussion regarding the behind-the-scenes development of the Skrull-centric series, show host Mike DeAngelo eventually inquired with Selim whether or not “When you came on, was it instantly like, we want you for all six?”, to which the director explained, “Well, when I came on, there were two of us.”
(L-R): Dermot Mulroney as President Ritson and Don Cheadle as James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes in Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
“I was gonna do [episodes] four, five, and six, and my friend, Tom Bezucha, was going to do one, two, and three,” Selim recalled. “And then, he and I prepped for a while, but then we got into probably scheduling constraints for him or something, because I think the show got delayed a couple of times, and he had to depart for – he worked on Fargo, this season of Fargo. So, he had to depart for that.”
“And it was great for me,” the series director concluded. “I think maybe a little ill-timed. His departure was a little ill-timed for Marvel and so, I was part of the scramble to fill those episodes. But I think ultimately, like I said, it worked out well for me, and I think it worked out well for the actors. No complaints from Marvel, so I think they’re happy having one director tell that whole story.”
Emilia Clarke as G’iah in Marvel Studios’ SECRET INVASION, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.
To this end, in a July 2022 interview with Collider, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that Bezucha’s time on the series was so brief that despite being the series’ star, he was only able to meet him a total of one time.
“Interestingly enough when I first started, Ali was one of two directors,” said the Nick Fury actor. “And I met with him and then I met with the other director and the next day the other director (Bezucha) had quit.”
Notably, though Selim places the blame for Bezucha’s departure on a Fargo-related scheduling issue, the timelines for each show raise questions about his claim.
Per Decider, principal photography for Secret Invasion began in September 2021 and lasted until late April 2022.
However, Fargo was not officially renewed for its fifth season until February 2022. This leaves a roughly five-month period unaccounted for in which Bezucha could have ostensibly worked on Marvel’s latest Disney Plus disaster.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Marvel Studios’ SECRET INVASION, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.
Unfortunately for curious viewers, as of writing, neither Selim, Bezucha, or anyone entity related to the production of either Secret Invasion or Fargo have weighed in to explain this production timetable discrepancy.
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