Eternals director Chloé Zhao revealed that her new film, Nomandland, contains a nod to 2012's The Avengers.
Zhao spoke to Fandango about her new film and its connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At one point in Nomadland, a marquee for a movie theater displays The Avengers, which the director said was a simple way to date the events of the movie. She says she chose the film as it sparked her interest in the MCU and what was capable in such a storytelling world.
Nomadland, based on the book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, tells the story of a woman (Frances McDormand) who sets out to explore the American West after leaving her old life behind. The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020 and has already gained Oscar buzz and sizable critical acclaim since its debut last week. But for Zhao, the Marvel connections don't end with the Easter egg.
Zhao explained how Eternals, her upcoming foray into big-budget filmmaking, will feature the same camera rig she used for the indie hit. Zhao said 90% of Eternals was filmed using the Ronin Gimbal, which will help give the cosmic superhero movie and similar feeling to Nomadland. Zhao also used a similar approach to the characters in both projects. For Eternals, Zhao not only directed but also wrote the final screenplay for the film. To craft the characters, she based them around the actors, rather than the other way around. She used a similar approach for Nomadland, especially when it came to casting real people in key roles.
Eternals is shaping up to be a rather unique film in the MCU given Zhao's pedigree and influences. Along with the ties to Nomadland, the director recently teased how the action scenes in the Marvel movie draw inspiration from The Revenant, another critical darling, one that was praised for its visceral and brutal action scenes. With Zhao behind the lens, perhaps Eternals will finally help Marvel get the attention of the Academy.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals stars Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight. The film arrives in theaters Nov. 5, 2021.
Source: Twitter