That’s unlike other recent Disney releases such as “Black Widow,” which opened day-and-date in theaters and on Premium Access Disney+ to much legal ballyhoo in the form of a (now-settled) lawsuit from Scarlett Johansson. Marvel president Kevin Feige has been firm about preserving a theatrical experience for “Eternals,” whose massive ensemble includes Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Angelina Jolie, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kumail Nanjiani. “I think a theater would be my preference and Chloé [Zhao]’s preference. We will see where we go with it,” Kevin Feige told Variety at the recent premiere of the MCU film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” (Unlike “Black Widow,” that film will hit Disney Plus after a 45-day window.)
As the mythology of the film puts forth, the Eternals are an advanced, immortal race of aliens who have lived on the Earth in secret for eons. The group must band together to protect the human race against their evil adversaries, the Deviants. The Eternals were first created by Jack Kirby, and made their original appearance in “The Eternals No. 1” back in July 1976. Initially imagined as protectors of Earth, they’ve long been engaged in a battle with the Deviants. Throughout decades of expanding comic book mythology, the Eternals have fought the Deviants as well as each other, and Zhao’s film looks to combine those struggles. Zhao has promised that her signature filmmaking style — lush vistas, magic-hour lighting — will be on full display in this film. As the director told The Hollywood Reporter, “I shot exactly the way I wanted to shoot. On location. A lot of magic hour. Three-hundred-sixty degrees on the same camera as I did on ‘Nomadland.’ Same rigs. It’s a bit surreal. I’m still waiting for the shoe to drop. It hasn’t. I think I got lucky in that Marvel wants to take risks and do something different.” Watch new footage from “Eternals” below.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 3, 2021 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
