‘Eternals’: Chloé Zhao Is Bringing Her “Deep, Strong Manga Roots” To Marvel’s Upcoming Blockbuster

When it was originally announced way back in September 2018, the idea that Marvel Studios selected Chloé Zhao to helm “Eternals” was shocking, to say the least. At that point, the filmmaker’s biggest credit was for her acclaimed indie, “The Rider.” Though that film is undeniably great, “The Rider” didn’t seem like a calling card for a director looking to direct a superhero film. Yet, in February 2021 (if it doesn’t get delayed again), “Eternals” is arriving in theaters and Zhao is going to show the world what she can do with a $200 million budget. And according to the filmmaker, what she does with “Eternals” is to stay true to herself as a fan and as a filmmaker.

Speaking to THR, while promoting the upcoming festival debut of her next feature (and early Oscar contender), “Nomadland,” Zhao was asked about “Eternals.” And right off the bat, the filmmaker wants to assure fans that she’s not coming into the world of superheroes and fantasy cold. In fact, she has her own lifetime of fandom to build from.

“I have such deep, strong manga roots,” says Zhao. “I brought some of that into ‘Eternals.’ And I look forward to pushing more of that marriage of East and West.”

She added, “How much further and bigger can we go after ‘[Avengers:] Endgame?’ Because I’m not just making the film as a director. I’m making the film as a fan.”

Now, there are many film fans that hear about another acclaimed indie director making the leap to blockbusters and roll their eyes. Most just assume that Marvel Studios hired Zhao but is making her bend to the will of Disney and the decades of MCU success. However, as the filmmaker explained, that’s not really the case. If anything, she’s shocked at the amount of creative freedom she’s been afforded.

“I shot exactly the way I wanted to shoot,” Zhao said. “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.”

There’s a lot of hype surrounding “Eternals” before it arrives in theaters. Not only is Zhao an impressive filmmaker, but she’s brought in an incredible cast filled with tons of diversity and actually plans on including the MCU’s first example of an LGBTQ+ leading character. But in her eyes, she doesn’t want people to focus on the diversity and inclusion. Instead, she wants to show the relationship between each of the characters.

“I wanted it to reflect the world we live in,” she says. “But also I wanted to put a cast together that feels like a group of misfits. I didn’t want the jocks. I want you to walk away at the end of the movie not thinking, ‘This person is this ethnicity, that person is that nationality.’ No. I want you to walk away thinking, ‘That’s a family.’ You don’t think about what they represent. You see them as individuals.”

“Eternals” is set to debut on February 12, 2021. “Nomadland” will debut at a variety of fall festivals before arriving in theaters on December 4.