The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have launched with “Iron Man” back in 2008, but that’s not when it all started. If you look back, further than “Captain Marvel” or even “Captain America: The First Avengers,” you will see that superpowered heroes have been among the MCU since the very beginning. And Chole Zhao’s “Eternals” tells that story as it follows a group of heroes from beyond the stars who had protected the Earth since the dawn of man.
With advanced tickets going on sale now, Marvel Studios has released a brand new “Eternals” featurette that takes a look at “the very creation of the Marvel universe itself.”
“The film also deals very much with the aftermath of Avengers 4 and the state the world is in,” executive producer Nate Moore said.
“Five of the Eternals are more of the thinkers,” Gemma Chan, who plays the humankind loving Sersi. As she says this, we see these heroic profile glimpses of Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite; Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig; Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak; Sersi, and Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos. “And the other five are the strongest fighters,” she continued. Here we see, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh; Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo; Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris; Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena; and Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari.
That is followed by a display of the characters’ powers and unique abilties as they swiftly take down the beastly deviants.
“Eternals are these remarkably superpowered characters but also a dysfunctional family unit,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said. In that clip we get to see some of the camera work in action while on a real-world set piece, and just how long the Eternals have been a part of the MCU. And Fegie credits Academy Award-winning director Chole Zhao for bringing that vision together.
“We go on these emotional journeys with these Eternals to figure out who they are and what it means to be human,” Zhao says.
As the featurette goes on, we see more of that camera work which hints at a lot of tracking shots. It is there that Nanjiani talking about Zhao’s vision being clear. “Everybody looks different. Everybody sounds different,” he excitedly says. This is a bit of an important statement as we get to see a scene where Ridloff, who is a deaf, communicates through sign language.
Hayek adds that “Eternals” will be very different as “It’s not the typical place. It’s not the typical shots. It’s not the typical cast.”
“A lot of people are going to see themselves as superheroes for the first time,” Jolie said. And again, as she says this, we get to see the diversity that exists within this film. And it is not just about the race and gender representations, but “Eternals” is a chance for those with disabilities or in the LGBTQ+ communities to be able to see themselves in these characters.
“It really is an epic global film,” Chan said. “The scope and the scale of it is huge.”
“It is so exciting to be a part of something that really feels new,” Hayek said.
“The impact that Eternals will have on the MCU will be nothing less than redefining the cinematic universe entirely,” Fegie says. Which goes without saying as a lot of these films have an impact on the cinematic universe. And lately, these films have had a social impact as well.
The outstanding ensemble cast includes Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, with Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena.
Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 5, 2021.
