Chloe Zhao to direct Marvel’s ‘The Eternals’

Posted by Brandy McDonnell on Sep 23, 2018 | 0 comments

Chloe Zhao

Chloe Zhao will direct Marvel’s next potential franchise, the “The Eternals,” about a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.

The project features the godlike titular beings and a more monstrous off-shoot known as the Deviants that were created by cosmic beings known as Celestials, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jack Kirby created “The Eternals” in 1976 during his cosmic hero phase and was influenced by such works as Erich von Däniken’ 1968 book “Chariots of the Gods,” which explored the notion of ancient gods as aliens.

The project will allow Marvel to assemble a diverse cast. Matthew and Ryan Firpo, whose spec script “Ruin” topped the 2017 Black List, penned the script for the superhero team adventure.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that one aspect to the script involves the love story between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who delights in moving among humans.

According to the trade publication, the director search for “The Eternals” narrowed in the last few week, with the short list including Nicole Kassell, who helmed the “Watchmen” pilot; Travis Knight, who directed the upcoming “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” and the stellar animated feature “Kubo and the Two Strings”; and Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra, the duo behind Colombian movie “Birds of Passage.”

Born in China, Zhao is known for writing and directing the independent films “The Rider,” a 2017 contemporary Western, and “Songs My Brothers Taught Me,” a 2015 Native American drama. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she also was known to Marvel because she was one of the names in the running to helm the standalone Black Widow movie. As previously reported, that job went to Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland (“Berlin Syndrome”).

-BAM