The greatest directors are always inspired by other great works. Similarly, director Chloe Zhao reveals how The Revenant inspired The Eternals, her upcoming Marvel Studios blockbuster.
Zhao will be directing The Eternals, the next big movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, taking it in a new direction. The Eternals movie will be about a group of ancient beings, whose history will change the landscape of the MCU.
The Eternals will be the MCU’s next big thing
The story will focus on how ancient aliens from the past, closely related to Thanos, might play a significant role in the future of the MCU. Acting as a prequel, The Eternals may add many new plot points and characters to the MCU who may appear later on in the shared universe.
The Eternals’ comic book origins see connections to many MCU movies, such as Celestials introduced in Guardians Of The Galaxy. Not to mention the aforementioned Thanos, who may even feature in the movie himself.
The movie could be a game changer for the MCU. Especially when considering the high-profile cast of The Eternals. The movie stars the likes of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek.
In a recent inerview with The Playlist, director Zhao discussed how The Revenant inspired The Eternals action sequences. “The Revenant is a film that I love so much,” Zhao said referring to the action sequences of The Eternals.
The Revenant inspired The Eternals’ action sequences
Specifically discussing the inspiration, Zhao refers to how much of The Revenant was shot on location. Something that the production was heavily praised for under the direction of director Alejandro G. Inarritu.
The Revenant was an Oscar-Winning movie about a frontiersman out for revenge. Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Oscar for best leading man for his performance under brutally harsh conditions.
The production was shot on location, with all the challenges that came with it. A lot of which included having to shoot around daylight, and the very real-world conditions such as weather.
This gave The Revenant an incredibly realistic look and created an atmosphere that completely complimented the intense story unfolding on screen.
Zhao reveals that The Eternals will emulate those sequences, with a level of realism similar to that of The Revenant. Zhao is also thankful to Marvel Studios for allowing her to experiment with The Eternals in those regards.
Given the unprecedented scope of The Eternals, The Revenant inspiration is sure to give fans something more to look forward to.
The Eternals releases in theatres on November 5, 2021.