Marvel's 'The Eternals' Slated For November 2020, Will Protect Earth From The Deviants [Comic-Con 2019]
Although Marvel Studios has kept its mouth shut about what movies would follow their "Phase Three" and the release of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, Hollywood can't keep every secret. We knew that The Eternals was coming and that The Rider director Chloe Zhao was behind the camera. We also knew a few of the key cast members.
So while it wasn't surprising to see the film made official at Marvel Studios' 2019 Comic-Con panel, it's still exciting to see such a strange superhero team make its way to the big screen. Will this cosmic group of oddballs be the next Guardians of the Galaxy? Here's what we learned at the panel.
The Eternals follows "super-powered and near-immortal beings known as Eternals and a more monstrous off-shoot known as the Deviants that were created by the cosmic beings called Celestials." The full ensemble too the stage and we finally saw the full cast for the first time: Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh and Don Lee. And here's the official logo that was revealed:
Following the recent trend of Marvel branching out into the stranger side of Marvel Comics, Kevin Feige says The Eternals will be something that is "entirely new" and "entirely different" for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But not unlike Thor: Ragnarok, this movie will really lean into the vibrant and stylish brilliance of Marvel's iconic artist and writer Jack Kirby.
These cosmic characters have spent 35,000 years on Earth, so they've already been part of the MCU this whole time, and we just didn't know it yet. They're a race of immortal aliens who have been sent by the Celestials to protect Earth from a race of humanoids known as The Deviants.
Director Chloe Zhao, who has wanted to make a movie for Marvel Studios for a long time now, says, "It's about this group of incredible immortals," but it's also about what it means to be human. Even out of this world stories need to be grounded, after all.
Salma Hayek will be playing Ajak, the leader of The Eternals, sort of the mother of this crew. Richard Madden has been confirmed to play Ikaris, Angelina Jolie is Thena, Don Lee is playing Gilgamesh (who can apparently beat the Hulk), Lia McHugh is playing Sprite (one of the oldest Marvel characters), Kumail Nanjiani will be Kingo, Brian Tyree Henry is Phasto, and Lauren Ridloff, a deaf actress, will be playing Makkari, who is also a deaf character.
The Eternals will hit theaters on November 6, 2020.