Marvel Studios' Eternals will be helmed by Chloe Zhao, a rising indie filmmaker best known for directing The Rider and the upcoming drama Nomadland. Now, Zhao has recounted how she came to direct one of the more obscure entries in Marvel Studios' slate of feature films for the Phase 4 era.
Based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name, Marvel Studios' Eternals will feature an ensemble cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, and Kit Harington. As in the comics, the titular immortal aliens, who have remained hidden on Earth for thousands of years, will reunite to protect the planet from their adversaries, the Deviants. Set photos also indicate the conflict between the Eternals and Deviants will be complicated by a romance between Gemma Chan's Sersi and Harrington's Dane Whitman, a human best known to comic readers as Black Knight.
While fans might expect Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige to have hand-picked Zhao to direct Eternals himself, this was not the case according to the filmmaker. During a conversation with director Barry Jenkins for Variety, Zhao noted that she was the one who made her desire to helm a comic book film known. She talked about her love for Japanese manga, and how that brought her further into the world of comic books. "I just devoured them," Zhao said, "That was my first love. I wanted to be a manga artist, but I was not very good at drawing. I have been a fan of the MCU for the last decade. So, I put the word out there I wanted to make a Marvel movie and the right project came to me."
Zhao added that part of what attracted her to the project was the opportunity to build upon the source material while contributing her own touch to the film. She cited the Star Wars universe as an example of why she loves the idea of world-building. "There is a world that is so rich. I wanted to enter it and see what I can do," Zhao explained. The director referenced her own film, The Rider, while describing how putting a new spin on an existing world and viewing it through a different lens can be a collaborative effort. "The chemistry of that, when it's right, it could be very exciting," she said.
Zhao's addition to the roster of Marvel Studios' directors is of significance considering she is only the third woman to helm an MCU film. Captain Marvel co-director Anna Borden and Black Widow helmer Cate Shortland precede Zhao, with Nia DaCosta on board to direct the forthcoming Captain Marvel sequel.
Of course, the wait for Zhao's take on Eternals has been longer than expected on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Marvel Studios intended to release Eternals in November 2020, the film was just one of many MCU projects to be postponed until the following year.
Eternals is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 5, 2021.
Source: Variety