Ever since its announcement in 2018, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Marvel’sEternals, and the wait is almost over. Releasing in November after being delayed by a year,Eternalswill introduce Jack Kirby’s immortal humanoids into theMCU. Featuring an all-star cast,Eternalslooks to recreate the magic ofGuardians of The Galaxyand pave the way for more superhero team-up movies without any buildup or solo movies before them (like theFantastic FourandX-Menreboot). With Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao helming the film,Eternalswill surely be among Marvel’s best works.Eternalsreleased its official poster and first trailer in May, which was viewed 77 million times in the first 24 hours alone. With the release date drawing near, another trailer will be out soon, presumably with the release ofShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsin September.
First debuting in 1976,Eternalsare a race of genetically engineered humanoids created by the all-powerful Celestials to defend the Earth. TheEternalsshare many similarities with DC’s more popularNew Gods, both created by Jack Kirby.Eternalsare not very popular even among hardcore Marvel fans, so all the gender and race swaps haven’t created a furor till now. Less popularity also allows the makers to take liberties with the mostly outdated source material and mold it for a more modern audience. The film will also featureMCU’s first disabled and LGBTQ superheroes.Good OmensandThe Sandmanwriter Neil Gaiman partnered with artist John Romita Jr. for anEternalsminiseries in 2006. He helped reinvent theEternalsfor the modern era, and the upcoming film will likely be influenced by Gaiman’s work as well. If it wasn’t for the global health crisis, we’d already have gottenEternalsby now, along with a few other Hollywood big-budget ventures. But as they say, better late than never. Here is what we know about Marvel’sEternalsso far.
Chloé Zhao is directingEternals
Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao was hired to direct the film in 2018. She was also a frontrunner to direct Marvel’sBlack Widow. A lifelong fan of fantasy films and Manga, Zhao has promised a captivating film incorporating the eccentricity of Kirby’s works with her own unique vision. Producer Kevin Feige was blown away by Zhao’s pitch, “It was an absolute spectacular pitch that Chloé put together”, referring to her presentation, “about a very bold and very ambitious sprawling 7000-year story of humanity and our place in the cosmos.” Zhao has lauded Marvel for granting her the freedom to makeEternalsthe way she wanted.
“It’s just been such an incredible experience working with the team at Marvel. I want to be careful saying “my vision,” even though I do want people to know they did support what I wanted to do. I want people to know that. But I also want to make sure they know that I got the support of this incredibly talented team, some of the most talented artists in the world. And it really is a village to make this film, but they did let me lead. Yes.”
Eternalscomprises a stacked star cast
With close to a dozen Hollywood A-listers, theEternalscast is on par with anAvengersmovie. Here is the star-studded line-up of the film.
Zhao has advocated for diversity in the film saying…
“I wanted it to reflect the world we live in. But also I wanted to put a cast together that feels like a group of misfits. I didn’t want the jocks. I want you to walk away at the end of the movie not thinking, ‘This person is this ethnicity, that person is that nationality.’ No. I want you to walk away thinking, ‘That’s a family.’ You don’t think about what they represent.”
As of now, no previously existingMCUcharacter is appearing in the film.Thanos creator Jim Starlin has teased the mad titan’s appearance in the filmalong with another one of his creations. But take that with a grain of salt as nothing’s been confirmed yet.Eternalswill introduce an entirely new world and characters to the fans.
What is the plot ofEternals
Marvel released the official plot synopsis along with the trailer and poster.
“Marvel Studios’Eternalsfeatures an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, The Deviants.”
Except for the aforementioned synopsis, other plot details have been scarce. Marvel is going to great lengths to keep the plot ofEternalsa secret. The actors, directors, and even Feige himself have been reluctant to share any critical information about the story. Fans expected the official trailer to reveal more about the mysterious beings, but unfortunately, it didn’t. The only substantial information the trailer divulged was that theEternalssat through numerous wars, disasters, alien invasions, and even Thanos' snap without interfering. Why these powerful beings would ignore all that remains a mystery. As per Walt Disney Studios' head of marketing Asad Ayaz, there is a reason why theEternalstrailer was light on plot details. Here is what he said to THR,
“If you saw theEternals trailer, it really gave nothing away. It’s just an introduction to the characters and tone. It was a very, very early tease. We have so much more to do on that. We will be very judicious because we do have other films and shows prior toEternalshitting. AndEternalsis such a special movie with all-new characters, and we have two Marvel movies prior to that.” He continued, " We are making sure that the way fans experience them (Marvel’s upcoming films) is unique and special and it doesn’t feel like you’ve got all these different Marvel properties hitting you at the same time."
Where have theEternalsbeen till now
A question that everyone who saw the trailer asked. Living among humans in various disguises is what theEternalshave been doing since they arrived on Earth 7000 years ago. The trailer gave us a glimpse of ancient wars, with a fewEternalstrying to help out. Why did they stop? Did they lose faith in humanity? Why did they live for so long among humans without helping them? Have they fought other extraterrestrial threats before? What could possibly draw them out now? The upcoming film will surely provide the fans with all these answers. After the very emotional deaths of beloved characters in the infinity saga, fans were not amused to see theEternalschilling around and talking about Captain America at the dinner table. Zhao and the team better come up with a good reason in the film to explain theEternals' absence. Let’s hope the reason is not amnesia as it was in Gaiman’s comic run in which Sprite induced memory loss in the {Eternals]. Some fans have also theorized that they vanished with Thanos' snap. Hopefully, the film gives out a better, more unique explanation for the Eternals' non-interference.
The Deviants may not be the only villains inEternals
The merchandise for the film revealed that the Deviant Kro is an antagonist in the film. Known for his shapeshifting abilities, Kro is a ruthless warlord and leader of the Deviants. According to a popular theory stemming from an unconfirmed leak, one of theEternalswill be the villain. Kro may have taken the form of an Eternal, or it could be something else. But if Kro is in the movie, shapeshifting will be involved. Another sneaky detail from the trailer that many fans missed was the introduction of Druig. Hayek, during her voiceover in the trailer, says, “Throughout the years, we have never interfered, until now.” Barry Keoghan appears onscreen the moment Hayek says, “until now.” Druig appears in a forest, the first look trailer showed theEternalsin a forest, and there was a blink and miss shot of people with blank eyes pointing guns in a forest. That can’t just be a coincidence. As far-fetched as it may sound, these trailers take a lot of time to make and always include Easter eggs or other references, and Marvel is known for this type of crafty foreshadowing. Plus, Druig has been portrayed as an antagonist in the comics as well. He could be the reason why theEternalscome out of hiding. Black Knight has also been a villain in the comics, but not Harington’s iteration, Dane Whitman. And even if he was, he doesn’t possess enough powers to be so big of a threat that all theEternalshave to come out of hiding to stop him. Marvel is either hiding a Luke Skywalker inThe Mandalorianlevel of twist, or the villain is someone we have already seen. Other options are possible but unlikely.
Where wasEternalsfilmed
Featuring gorgeous locations and mesmerizing visuals, the first trailer ofEternalsproved that Marvel wasn’t kidding when they said Chloé Zhao will have full creative freedom while making the film. The trailer flaunted Zhao’s brilliant knack for visuals consisting of beautiful wide shots against a sun-lit background.Eternalswas shot on location in England in London and Oxford, and the Canary Islands. The rest of the film was filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. Kevin Feige told Variety about Zhao’s insistence to shoot on location.
“What she talked about was really fighting for practical locations, for practical elements - yes, in a movie that is full of visual effects and characters with extraordinary powers, but doing as much as possible on far-flung locations. And that starts to reap benefits visually immediately.” He added, “We cut a little sample reel together, I remember, to show Disney higher-ups. And it was so beautiful, and I had to keep saying, ‘This is right out of a camera; there’s no VFX work to this at all!’ Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside - really, really impressive stuff.”
Kevin Feige’s comments received some flak from fans. He was rebuked for making such a big deal out of practical effects and real locations. As if nobody has ever taken that approach to filmmaking before. Marvel’s over-reliance on CGI and their formulaic approach towards filmmaking were also the subject of the “Martin Scorsese’s Marvel is not cinema” controversy. Still, it is a breath of fresh air to see Marvel trying something new. And judging by the trailer, Zhao has put that $200 million budget to good use becauseEternalsdoes look quite stunning.
When doesEternalscome out?
The third entry inMarvel’s Phase 4 slate,Eternals, is will release worldwide in theaters on the 5th of November, 2021. The film was originally supposed to come out in November 2020 but got delayed due to the pandemic.Black WidowandEternalswere the only Marvel films supposed to release in 2020, but both got shifted by a year, withShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsreleasing between the two. A safe bet as theaters are still not open in many countries, and withBlack Widowreleasing two years after Marvel’s last theatrical release,Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel wants to play it safe and gauge the audience’s interest first. HadEternalsbeen released earlier, there are chances it may have bombed. Featuring an all-new cast playing characters most people aren’t familiar with,Eternalswas a big gamble on Marvel’s part. It may have made sense in a pre-social distancing era world with Marvel riding high on the success ofEndgame, but as we know, a lot has changed since then. Hopefully,Black WidowandShang-Chihelp the world’s biggest film franchise regain its momentum.Fast and Furious 9andA Quiet Placereviving the summer box office is another good sign for the film. Nevertheless, there are no plans beyond July for Disney-produced movies to release simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt starrerJungle Cruisewill be the last to do so. Do make sure to head out to your nearby theaters in November for a purely cinematic experience withEternals.
Who else was involved in the production ofEternals?
Newcomers Ryan and Matthew K. Firpo penned the screenplay in 2018, focusing on Ikaris and Sersi’s love story. While filming, Zhao made significant contributions to the script leading to Firpos getting a story credit and Zhao getting the screenplay credit alongside Patrick Burleigh. In the cinematography department is Ben Davis, longtime Marvel DP who has previously shotDoctor Strange, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, andCaptain Marvel. Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones,Iron Man) will provide the background score. Best known for scoring Game of Thrones, Djawadi is a very talented composer who has composed music for famous movies and TV shows likeWestworld, Pacific Rim, andIron Man. With him as the music director, fans can expect an epic score forEternals. Dylan Tichenor (Zero Dark Thirty) and Craig Wood (Guardians of the Galaxy) serve as the editors. She has commended the editors, calling them, “incredible” and described the whole process as a learning experience.
What’s next afterEternals?
Chloé Zhao is on her way to becoming a household name after winning an academy award and directing a Marvel film. She already has a lot on her plate for the coming years with the Bass Reeves biopic and Universal’sDraculamovie. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted Marvel’s original schedule, and at least 4,5 movies and multiple Disney+ shows will release per year from now on. Furthermore, with several projects under development, a direct sequel toEternalswill have to wait till at least 2024. With Fox’s properties also being integrated into theMCU, there is a chance that theEternalsmay join forces with other characters. Black knight became the leader of theAvengersat one point, and Sersi too has collaborated with other Marvel characters. Harington being a well-known star could appear alongside fan-favoriteMCUcharacters. Fresh from his decade-long stint withGame of Thrones, Marvel would be smart to cash in on the talented actor.
