Director Chloé Zhao says Marvel's Eternals will have some serious manga influences. Officially announced last summer at San Diego Comic-Con, Eternals will be the second film in the MCU's highly-anticipated Phase 4. The film was originally scheduled for release in November of this year, but when the coronavirus pandemic delayed Black Widow, Marvel moved it to February 2021. As fans await some major info about the film, like a trailer or promotional images, Eternals recently got a slight title change when it dropped the word "The". The hope is that a trailer will emerge in the coming months.

Eternals holds a lot of firsts from the MCU, from its first openly LGBTQ relationship to having an Asian woman as a director for the first time. The film itself will be centered on a group of extremely powerful cosmic beings who are essentially immortal; they've existed for thousands of years and watch over humanity from the shadows. However, as Eternals' official synopsis revealed, a major event will bring the group off the sidelines and into the MCU proper. Eternals boasts an impressive, star-studded cast that includes big names like Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, and Kumail Nanjiani.

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Zhao recently sat down with THR to discuss her upcoming projects, including Eternals. While she couldn't give away any plot specifics, Zhao was able to share some of her inspirations for the film. Zhao chose to draw from her childhood when it came to the film's style, explaining, "I have such deep, strong, manga roots. I brought some of that into Eternals. And I look forward to pushing more of that marriage of East and West." Zhao also revealed Eternals pushes some big thematic ideas. "How much further and bigger can we go after [Avengers:] Endgame?" she asked. "Because I’m not just making the film as a director. I’m making the film as a fan."

Chloe Zhao Eternals MCU

The MCU has found its best success stories when it lets its directors do their own things and push the boundaries of their creativity. A common criticism leveled at the franchise is that many of its films follow the same formula, and that Marvel is often unwilling to move outside of its safe box. However, Eternals presents a real opportunity to expand the bounds of what the franchise is capable of, largely because it has a massive cast and a story that spans thousands of years. Based on Zhao's comments, she took that to heart in creating Eternals, and it will be thrilling to see how it all comes together.

Provided Black Widow manages to retain its November 6 release date, Eternals will still be on track for a February release. If that's the case, the first trailer will likely be released before Black Widow debuts in theaters. Fans are especially eager to see the first Eternals trailer because it will grant a proper look at the cosmic heights Zhao and her team hope to reach. There's a lot riding on this film, but it definitely sounds like it's in good hands.

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Source: THR

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