MARVEL’S ETERNALS
Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan +
Chloé Zhao made history this year when she became the first woman of color to win Best Director at the Academy Awards for her film Nomadland. Which also made history as the first women-led film to win Best Picture. Zhao has made a name for herself with her small-scale, deeply human, dramas such as Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider. In a departure from those stories, Zhao is nor branching into the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Eternals.
Eternals will be set in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. It centers on a group of immortal beings who live secretly on Earth. After an unexpected tragedy, these superheroes-in-waiting decide to reunite to protect the future of humanity. Eternals marks the first Marvel film to feature a major LGBTQ character, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) in a lead role. Phastos is described as an intelligent cosmic-powered inventor who secretly helps humanity progress technologically.
The rest of the cast is also stacked. Gemma Chan stars as Sersi, a being who can manipulate matter, Angelina Jolie stars as fierce warrior Thena, who can forge weapons out of cosmic energy, Salma Hayak stars as Ajak, the sort of spiritual leader for the group, Richard Madden is Ikaris, the group’s tactical leader who has a deep bond with Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani plays Kingo, who can project cosmic energy from his hands, and Kit Harrington is Dane Whitman, a mortal man with the ability to wield a mystical sword.
Eternals is set for a theatrical release on November 5, 2021.
