Secret Invasion: Here is all you need to know about new Marvel and Disney Plus series filmed in Halifax from comic book shop owner and expert

Secret Invasion will consist of six episodes and is expected to be screened on Disney Plus this spring.

So far only a brief 56 second-long trailer has been released, featuring all the stars who came to Halifax for the filming in January last year – Samuel L Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Ben Mendelsohn, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Cobie Smulders.

Martin Freeman and Olivia Coleman also feature in the gripping teaser footage.

The Piece Hall was shut for a week while crews filmed there, and there were also cameras spotted at Dean Clough and on one of the back streets near Bull Green.

Owner of Halifax comic book store Pages N’ Pixels – and huge Marvel fan – Ross Denby is among many around the world eagerly awaiting for the show.

He expects there to be a longer trailer for the series, hopefully revealing some more about what is to come, in March or April before the series begins.

His shop is in The Piece Hall and he was even allowed inside while filming was taking place.

He has been studying the initial trailer and says CGI seems to have been used to a couple more floors to the historic venue – but it is definitely still recognisable.

"It’s exciting because it’s going to be the next phase of Marvel,” he said.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes out in February and is the launch of phase five of Marvel, and it’s all building up to the Avengers movies, which are scheduled for 2025 and 2026.”

He has shared what he thinks viewers will be seeing when the series starts.

He expects Secret Invasion to feature some new characters, which he hopes will include new villains such as Kang the Conqueror.

"I think the key inclusion will be some really good villains,” he explained.

“Heroes are fine but the best superheroes need a strong villain to fight.

"This is why I'm excited to see more from Kang in Ant-Man and The Wasp after his appearance in the Loki series. But I'd love to see Doctor Doom revealed in this phase too. Secret Invasion could be the time to do that."

He also says there should be more involvement of Skrulls – a fictional race of extra-terrestrial shapeshifters who infiltrate the Avengers and replace key characters.

"We saw Skrulls in Captain Marvel and then they teased them at the end of Spiderman: Far From Home as replacing people.

"One of them was disguised as Nick Fury, the other as Maria Hill. Both main characters in Secret Invasion, and in The Piece Hall for filming,” he said.

He explained Secret Invasion is based on the Marvel comic book of the same name.

He says the character played by Emilia Clarke, who also starred in Game of Thrones, has been “shrouded in secrecy” but he thinks she will be key to the new series and could potentially be a Skrull.

The introduction of mutant characters, such as X-Men, might also be on the horizon.

"There was a feeling that the last Marvel phase didn’t really deliver so I’m excited to see how this phase develops,” he added.

"Is this going to be Marvel back at its best?”

Ross said lots of people have been into the shop asking about the filming and eager to discuss the upcoming series.

"The buzz is high,” he said. “Everyone wants to talk about it.

“With this and the Happy Valley filming, and there was a crew here last week – it’s really positive for Halifax.”

He some interesting stories from during the filming, and is planning to share some Secret Invasion snippets and tales on his social media accounts.

The shop also stocks a host of Marvel goodies and will have plenty of Secret Invasion merchandise and events in the run-up to the show being screened.

"We’ve seen people from all over the world coming to The Piece Hall over the last three months – America, Australia, New Zealand – as well as from Scotland and the South,” he said.

"Lots of people have heard about the filming and ask about it.”

The Courier was the first to reveal what was to be filmed in the town after signs went up for ‘Jambalaya’.

A number of online sources hinted that this was the working title for Marvel' s much-anticipated series Secret Invasion and, sure enough, the show’s star and Hollywood legend Samuel L Jackson was spotted in Halifax along with plenty of other familiar faces.

In total, there were around 260 members of cast and extras, plus 200 members of crew involved in the Halifax filming.

The location manager for the production, Emma Jane Richards, has since revealed how the series came to be filmed in Halifax, saying they needed a square for their show - and The Piece Hall fitted the bill perfectly.

Once here, the team found other ideal locations in Halifax to shoot more scenes from chatting to locals.

"I wouldn't have found Dean Clough if it hadn't been for a conversation with a local," she said.

"I wouldn't have found some of the streets at the back of Halifax that Calderdale Council closed for us if I hadn't had chats with some local people.

"The thing about Halifax and Calderdale is there's been such a spirit of welcome."

For more about Pages N’ Pixels, visit https://www.instagram.com/pagesnpixels