Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ is influenced by director Chloe Zhao’s childhood

Filmmaker Chloe Zhao says with her upcoming Marvel tentpole Eternals, she aims to push for marriage between ‘East and West’.

Zhao, who is the first Asian to tackle a superhero film for Marvel Studio, said the movie is influenced by her own childhood experiences of growing up in China.

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

Zhao said she is making the superhero feature from the perspective of a fan.

“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,” she said.

The story of Eternals set millions of years ago when the cosmic beings known as the Celestials genetically experimented on humans to create super-powered individuals known as the Eternals along with the villainous Deviants.

The film will feature Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Brian Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani and Kit Harington.

Eternals will released worldwide in February 2021.