Marvel’s latest film Black Widow paved the way for Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao to direct Eternals.
Eternals is set to be Marvel’s most expansive and historical-driven film, setting it apart from the general popcorn action fare the franchise is known for. Chloe Zhao, the Oscar-winning director of Nomadland was tapped in way before her monumental win earlier this year. However, before she was tapped to spearhead the Eternals, Zhao was in talks with Kevin Feige to helm Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, which just hit cinemas and Disney Plus via Premiere Access this past weekend.
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes to discuss the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4, Kevin Feige discussed how Chloe Zhao was originally in talks to direct the spy-thriller Black Widow. The studio eventually went with Cate Shortland, who was suggested to the studio by star and producer Scarlett Johansson. However, Feige and the team at Marvel Studios recognized Zhao’s talents, well before she became an Oscar-winning director, and scooped her up for the ruminative Eternals, which seems to fit her style more.
“Chloe had expressed interest in Marvel many years ago, even when Brad Winderbaum, our producer on Black Widow, was looking for a filmmaker, her name came up. She’d done a great film called The Rider. She ended up not coming in on that film, I believe, and we were very lucky to get Cate Shortland to direct that movie at Scarlett’s suggestion. But when we were working on Eternals, and our producer Nate Moore was coming up with this pitch to really embrace one of Jack Kirby’s greatest creations for Marvel — amongst all of his great creations, but The Eternals, this race of immortal beings who’ve been on Earth for millennia, is one of his best — he asked Chloe to come in and meet. And they really just clicked on this notion of a history of humanity, what it means to be human, and the viewpoint of that through these characters, the Eternals. She came in with a pitch that got into visuals, which is beautiful, but more importantly into these characters. These are ten new characters into the world, which is a very difficult thing to do, and she embraced that challenge and had a unique viewpoint for every single one of them. I’m happy to say that from that initial pitch and meeting, to the near-final version of the film where we are now, she has both won a handful of Academy Awards in between, and delivered on her promise of what The Eternals could be.”
Are you excited to see Chloe Zhao take on Eternals for Marvel? Did you see Black Widow this weekend? Comment below and let us know!
The first film in Marvel’s Phase 4 is Black Widow:
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow,” Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Directed by Cate Shortland from a script written by Eric Pearson based on a story by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson, the Marvel film stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Ray Winstone, Olivier Richters, and Rachel Weisz.
Black Widow is out now in theaters and on Disney Plus via Premier Access. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the film, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
