With Eternals doing well in theaters, buzz is already circulating about whether Marvel will put in motion plans for a sequel to Chloé Zhao’s “standalone” film which is part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While talking to JoBlo, The Academy Award-winning Marvel’s Eternals director is the one who is speaking out about whether she would return to direct Eternals 2.
“I was encouraged to make a good standalone film, very encouraged to do that,” Zhao told JoBlo. “I think now the film belongs to you, not me, and we want to see how this child grows in this scary, wild, and beautiful world. And then we need to watch and listen and learn and then see where we go from there.”
The first-time Marvel director added that filmmakers tend to make the same movie “over and over and over,” hinting that’s not something she’s really interested in.
In the latest MCU film, Eternals, which is eying a $75 million opening weekend at the box office despite not getting the best reviews from fans, is slowly generating buzz.
The film includes a core of 10 Eternal heroes and the human, Dane Whitman (Kit Harington), in an epic story that spans thousands of years. The movie introduces the MCU to Ikaris and Sersi (Richard Madden and Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Ajak (Salma Hayek), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Druig (Barry Keoghan) and Thena (Angelina Jolie).
Zhao says moviegoers should “watch and listen and learn” to see if there will be a sequel to her film.
“There’s certain themes, there’s certain things that I would keep pushing, I’m very happy to go back to make films with five people again,” Zhao added, but couldn’t pick any one character she would want to work with most. “It’s like asking me to see which children I want to take to the party. All of them!”
One of the ideas she sees as being a good fit for a sequel is going back in time before the present-day MCU to explore the 7,000 years the Eternals spent on Earth, calling it a “cool” idea.
“I’m not maybe pitching this to Marvel, not necessarily with me, but the world is expanding real fast,” the Marvel’s Eternals director said. “If they do anything set in the past, any time in history, these guys could show up because they’ve been here the whole time.”
Marvel’s Eternals is now playing in theaters.
