Chloé Zhao has had quite the year. After winning Best Director for her work on Nomadland and taking the world by storm, she’s headed to the superhero realm with her film Eternals, which comes out this November. Packed to the brim with exciting characters and an all-star cast, it’s a highly anticipated take on characters that have been around for centuries in the Marvel Comics universe haven’t gotten screentime yet.
In preparation for the movie, Entertainment Weekly has released new covers for each of the characters and spoke with Zhao, Marvel president Kevin Feige and more about the film. This is a wonderfully in-depth look into the Eternals, their powers, and the cinematic genius that is Chloé Zhao.
Speaking with EW’s Devan Coggan, Zhao described the joy of seeing the Eternals in their full glory while filming. “We had our whole cast standing on that cliff in their costumes, and we played really loud operatic music on the speaker, just blasting that through the wind,” Zhao explains. “Seeing my cast coming together in formation as the Eternals, with the beauty of this ancient-looking landscape, and the ocean and the sky, that was…I mean, I couldn’t stand because I felt like I was getting lifted by the wind. But other than that, it was pretty awesome.”
Feige has pointed out that this movie couldn’t have been made with Zhao’s expertise and brilliance. “The truth is, we would not have even attempted this if it weren’t for Chloé,” Feige told EW. “We thought, here’s a filmmaker who is equal parts cinematic visionary and genre nerd. She can outtalk any of us when it comes to manga and Star Wars and Marvel comics. It’s quite an astounding combination. And this movie, I think, represents all of the immense multitudes of Chloé.”
The thing about the characters of the Eternals is that many people—even comics fans—don’t know much about them. It’s not any fault of yours, they’re not the most popular bunch in the Marvel canon, but it means that we have some learning to do when it comes to these characters and who they are. With these new shots, Entertainment Weekly also gave us a bit of an insight into the characters while debuting their epic covers.
Meet Sersi, who has a soft spot for humans. @gemma_chan and @TheEternals cast assemble, introducing Marvel’s family of immortals to protect mankind from their oldest enemy. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D Story by @devancoggan pic.twitter.com/JjnZdSe6CA
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the all-powerful Ikaris. @_richardmadden and his #Eternals costars bring a race of immortals to the MCU in a thrilling new adventure. Go behind the scenes: https://t.co/2FEew28l1D Story by @devancoggan pic.twitter.com/HghTyvHoxP
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the cosmic-powered Kingo. @kumailn and @TheEternals cast assemble, introducing a new, unconventional Marvel Studios super team. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D Story by @devancoggan pic.twitter.com/ES5UaZtpnV
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the forever young Sprite. Lia McHugh and her #Eternals costars usher in an ageless, superpowered new group dedicated to protecting humankind in the MCU. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/iNNaetK6kF
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the inventor Phastos. Brian Tyree Henry and @TheEternals cast assemble, introducing Marvel’s family of immortals who feel simultaneously like an ancient power and completely new. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/PD7QUiyWWP
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the speedster Makkari. @LaurenRidloff, the MCU’s first deaf hero, and her #Eternals costars introduce a powerful family of immortals in Marvel’s next big adventure. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/3iVR3GPPiv
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the aloof Druig. @BarryKeoghan and @TheEternals cast come together for a cosmic, millennia-spanning epic that might be Marvel’s most ambitious film so far. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/02sFzFQAuF
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet strongman Gilgamesh. Don Lee and his #Eternals costars are ready to unveil the MCU’s new super team: all-powerful immortals. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/JfEkF9Rf6l
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet spiritual leader Ajak. @salmahayek and @TheEternals cast assemble to introduce an ageless, unconventional band of heroes determined to save Earth. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/0Fpin9WESt
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Meet the warrior Thena. Angelina Jolie and her #Eternals costars introduce a new Marvel super team in a sprawling saga about immortals keeping watch over humanity. https://t.co/2FEew28l1D pic.twitter.com/yc51kwiXWn
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
Chloé Zhao is one of our most innovative directors and I can’t wait to see her take on the MCU. She knows Marvel, she knows genre, and her Eternals already seems like an excellent step in the right direction for the future of Marvel movies.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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