ETERNALS 2
Marvel Studios is well known for keeping its secrets well under wraps before the release of its project. Since many of Tom Holland’s and Mark Ruffalo’s infamous slip-ups, they’ve been even more careful with their actors. Fans even see an imaginary Feige sniper constantly aiming for their cast members.
But despite all this, some slippages occur. One of them is directed by one of the Eternals 2 cast members.
Eternals 2 – Is it okay, isn’t it?
During one of his appearances on Today, veteran actor Patton Oswalt let slip that Eternals 2 is well and truly on the way. Patton Oswalt played the character of Pip the troll in the Eternals post-credits scene, alongside Harry Styles’ Starfox. That’s exactly what he said-
They announced that there would be a sequel to Eternals. Chloe Zhao will direct it. So I hope there will be more Starfox and Pip adventures.
While the title card at the end of Eternals said, “Eternals will return”, at this point the future is unofficial. However, ever since Feige shared his “incomplete” film slate for Phase Six at SDCC 2022, speculation has swirled about this. the blanks in the slate might be. One of the best candidates for them is Eternals 2.
Eternals
Marvel’s Eternals (2021) was directed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao. It included an ensemble cast of Richard Madden as the almighty Ikaris, Gemma Chan as the humanity-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as the cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the lightning-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the clever inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young and old soul Sprite, Don Lee as the mighty Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as the aloof loner Druig and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman.
The ambitious film offered jaw-dropping visuals and gorgeous cinematography. The scale of the film was epic and posed profound questions about humanity. However, its deliberate pacing, rug-pulling plot, and very different vibe to the rest of Marvel’s output meant it didn’t quite land for some Marvel fans. With revenue of just $402 million, it had the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score on the website. It was even more doubtful that its sequel would happen.
The direction of Chloe Zhao
The unprofitable performance of the Eternals movie led fans to question Zhao’s directing skills. Although Zhao is a great filmmaker, her take on Eternals didn’t sit well with audiences. Although it’s safe to say that Eternals’ story was too vast to be crammed into a single film. Additionally, it introduced new heroes with no solid storyline and audiences couldn’t connect with them.
Zhao gave a new vibe to the MCU. Zhao tried to handle different things – introducing new heroes, tackling complex human emotions, and establishing the cosmic story of the entire Marvel Universe.
In January, TheWrap recently spoke with Stephane Ceretti, Visual Effects Supervisor on “Eternals,” and Matt Aitken, Digital Visual Effects Supervisor for WETA. Here is what they said about Zhao’s vision for the film –
Even in our pitch she made to Marvel, she was talking about looking at life through a grain of sand. Where you look, I think, very little, but you’re a very big thing, and when you squint, you see all the intricate details of everything that’s going on on this very small level… We start from the beach, and to the sky, then we go to the palm, then we get bigger around the hand, and then we end up at the edge of the atmosphere.
Chloe Zhao is indeed very ambitious. She has a very unique style and Marvel can benefit from that. Maybe she should get one more chance and she can surely find a treat for all of us. The characters have already been introduced now, all it would take is a good storyline and everything could be settled easily.
Maybe Patton Oswalt just “assumed there was a sequel going on and misspoke”. As no official announcement has been made by the studio. It is assumed that Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, will announce new films during the D23 in September. Perhaps it will announce Eternals 2 as one of the Phase 6 movies. It’s also unclear if all the star actors would return to reprise their roles. Marvel could also select an entirely new director for the sequel. Then things will become clearer. Until then, take this news with a grain of salt.
