Eternals director Chloé Zhao was inspired by manga and fantasy films

Eternals director Chloe Zhao says the film is inspired by her love of science fiction, manga and fantasy films, as well as the original Jack Kirby comics.

Eternal Director Chloé Zhao says her love of science fiction, manga, and fantasy movies served as the inspiration for the upcoming MCU movie. The film, starring Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan and Barry Keoghan, will be the third theatrical release in MCU Phase 4. . . Eternal It is currently scheduled to launch on November 5.

Created by comic book legend Jack Kirby, the Eternal The story is epic in scope and mythical in style, reminiscent of Kirby’s story in some ways. New gods comics featuring DC, who created the character Darkseid. The comics follow the super-powerful alien race of the same name, created through ancient experiments conducted on humanity by the Celestials. A second race, the evil Deviants, were also created by the same experiments. Although never a main series like Spiderman or Captain AmericaThe Eternals have remained in the canon of Marvel comics throughout the decades, appearing in a number of featured stories.

Related: Everything We Know About Marvel’s Eternals Movie

Bringing such a distinctly different group of characters to the MCU is a challenging task, but director Chloé Zhao has embraced the task by pulling from several different places. In a recent interview with Variety, Zhao talked about his different stylistic inspirations for the film, citing his appreciation for manga and fantasy films. He also praised Kirby’s original work, stating that it is still the “Foundation” of the movie. Read the full quote from Zhao below.

“Jack Kirby and his imagination, his incredible work, is really the foundation of everything. On top of that, there is what Marvel Studios has built, this incredible journey that they are taking. And on top of that there is me as a fan of the MCU. And then me as a fan of the genre, but also growing up with science fiction, manga and fantasy films. And how can we have this great melting pot and cook something that might taste a little different? It was just something exciting; we all walk in wanting to do that. We’ll see.”

Zhao made history at the 93rd Academy Awards by becoming the first woman of color to win the Best Director award, and only the second woman to claim the award following Kathryn Bigelow’s victory in 2010 for The wounded locker. Zhao’s movie, Nomadland, also won Best Picture. His victory has been widely celebrated by those who have criticized the domination of the category (and the Academy) by white male artists, although the work to create a more equitable Hollywood climate still has a long way to go.

Still, Zhao’s Oscar win is an important moment, and it should get Marvel fans even more excited about his MCU debut. Eternal is a strange comic book story, and in the hands of such a talented director, it could become a very unique and compelling entry in the franchise, alongside most of the MCU films lauded as Black Panther Y Guardians of the Galaxy. Phase 4 has started strong with WandaVision Y The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney + and Eternal that trend is likely to continue.

Next: 14 Marvel Movies To Release After Falcon & Winter Soldier

Source: Variety

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