The trailer for Eternals, the next instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has been released.
Eternals will be the 26th film in the MCU and is directed by Chloé Zhao. Patrick Burleigh, known for his work on Ant-Man and The Wasp, contributes to the screenplay alongside Zhao.
The plot of Eternals sees an immortal alien race emerge from hiding to come together to save the human race and fight back against their evil counterparts, The Deviants. The cast includes Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, and Gemma Chan as well as Angelina Jolie and Richard Madden.
Chan, the film’s lead, plays Sersi, an empathetic Eternal who can manipulate matter with her mind. Jolie plays Thena, a fierce warrior who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy. Hayek meanwhile stars as Ajak, the wise and spiritual leader of the Eternals who can use her healing powers to help the human race.
The film follows on directly from the events of Avengers: Endgame, which saw Iron Man sacrifice himself in order to save the universe from Thanos. It is one of four MCU films scheduled to be released this year, alongside Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Zhao won the Oscar for best director earlier this year for Nomadland, her film about the lives of itinerant workers in America. As with her previous films, Nomadland includes numerous non-actors and is filmed in her signature docu-fictional style. Frances McDormand also took away an Oscar for best actress for her role in the film.
The director, whose other works include The Rider and Songs My Brothers Taught Me, was given creative freedom in the direction of the film. Last September, she told The Hollywood Reporter that “I shot [Eternals] exactly the way I wanted to shoot. On location. A lot of magic hour. Three-hundred-sixty degrees on the same camera as I did on Nomadland. Same rigs. It’s a bit surreal. I’m still waiting for the shoe to drop. It hasn’t. I think I got lucky in that Marvel wants to take risks and do something different.”
Eternals will be released in cinemas on 5 November 2021.
Words by Camilla Patini.
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