Eternals director Chloe Zhao is still hard at work editing the MCU's next cosmic adventure's final cut. Arguably one of Marvel's most anticipated upcoming projects, partly because of the mystery surrounding it, Eternals has faced a long road to the screen. Eternals was initially set for a November 2020 release, but the film was pushed into February 2021 before landing on its final November release date. It certainly seems like the film will hit this deadline now that Disney has seemingly locked in their Marvel slate for 2021.
Eternals is one of the more enigmatic films of this slate alongside Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings purely because fans cannot be sure what to expect from the film. The film's stellar cast certainly hints at Eternals' potential - Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Kit Harrington, and Gemma Chan are all slated to star. It will be one of the MCU's most diverse properties right out of the gate, and Henry's character, Phastos, will be Marvel's first openly gay hero.
Eternals editor Dylan Tichenor tells Sundance Collab that Zhao is still tinkering with the film. Tichenor describes the process as extremely collaborative, one where both Zhao and Tichenor are learning from each other. The editor also reveals that Zhao wasn't involved in putting together the first cut of the film, but she's tweaking certain things after cutting her teeth working within the Marvel machine.
I am [working] right now [with] Chloe [Zhao]. Chloe edits her movies and she has strong opinions. But she also wants to know everything I'm thinking, and frankly, we did the whole first cut without much input from her in terms of takes or this or that. And she just watched it. And the things that she wants to tweak, we tweak. But by and large, she has really relied on our experience and our point of view. That's why we're hired, you know, for our creativity and our experience. And sense of humor. But I think that makes the best result.
Zhao has set some high expectations for the film. Her latest, Nomadland, is the odds-on favorite at this year's Academy Awards, and Zhao could be the second woman in history to capture a win for Best Director. Eternals will be an entirely different ballgame, though. Zhao will be entering the world of blockbuster cinema, bringing her grounded approach to filmmaking into the MCU. It's been reported that Eternals was inspired by The Revenant and its production techniques and naturalistic imagery. Zhao will also have to do double duty with the film, introducing an obscure group of heroes from the Marvel comics and introducing them to the millions of MCU fans worldwide.
This has been done before, with James Gunn propelling Guardians of the Galaxy to global success. Luckily, Zhao has a stellar cast on her side and a guarantee that, no matter what, hardcore MCU fans will be coming out in droves to see the mysterious picture. It will also attract a new crowd to the MCU, one more familiar with Zhao's work on The Rider and Nomadland than the contours of the MCU. When Eternals hits theaters, it will usher in the dawn of a new cosmic era for Marvel, and with so much on the studio's plate already, it sounds like Zhao is working to make sure it's nothing short of perfect.
Source: Sundance Collab
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April 08, 2021 at 04:57AM
