UPDATE March 2021: Raja Ilya has clarified that she auditioned for an Marvel role, but didn’t get cast.

Despite how forthcoming Marvel has been with the titles of their Phase 3 cinematic lineup (barring Avengers 4), there’s still a lot we don’t know concerning what these films have in store for the newly introduced and existing heroes. A number of these, like Captain Marvel, will likely see major changes from the comics to their supporting cast and origin. With any luck, these alterations will be a benefit to the unique ongoing story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also leaves fans at a loss about what to expect.

One such example of this struggle comes every time a new casting announcement is made. The mystery surrounding Peter Dinklage’s (Game of Thrones) role in Avengers: Infinity War is a perfect example of the difficulty of finding context for how fans should direct their excitement about an announcement. Now a new actress seems poised to enter the MCU, and her role is even more mysterious.

The actress’ name is Raja Ilya and she recently revealed to Malaysian newspaper, Star2.com, that she has snagged a role in a Marvel film. Ilya offered what scant details she is allowed to reveal about her secret Marvel role:

It almost sounds like her role may still even be in a state of flux. The star was also asked how she began her process with Marvel.

“I can’t get any accurate shooting location for now. I’ve just been informed to fly to Hollywood by the end of the year for role selection and for which Marvel title [I would be involved in]."

While not widely known in the U.S., Ilya has made award-winning appearances in a number of television dramas and feature films. She most recently starred in a leading role in Soulmate Hingga Jannah, the film she was promoting when this news dropped. Ilya also revealed that she will be training with martial arts expert and actor Yayan Ruhian to prepare for her role. Ruhian was in The Raid, which is scheduled to be remade by Joe Carnahan, and played Tasu Leech (one of the bad guys who menaced Han Solo) in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“The offer came from someone I know from Indonesia who has already acted in a few Marvel and Disney movies… Now I just have to get prepared for the moment of my life.”

When trying to guess what Marvel movie Ilya might be appearing in, the key piece of information seems to be that she has been told to fly to Hollywood “by the end of the year.” Captain Marvel is the one big Marvel property that is expected to begin shooting in early 2018, so the time-frame loosely fits. If Ilya has a large role involving lots of fighting, it makes sense that she’d begin training soon, then would fly to Hollywood by the end of 2017 to prepare for the shoot.

What role Ilya could be tackling in Captain Marvel is anyone’s guess. So far, very little is known about the movie except that Brie Larson is playing the title character, and a writing team of Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman has been assembled to adapt the comic book. Samuel L. Jackson has hinted that Nick Fury could appear. A director has yet to be named for the film.

Source: Star2.com

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