Kumail Nanjiani hypes Eternals: “[It’s] unlike anything I’ve ever seen”
By Corey Smith
Eternals, the first big new film of Phase Four, sounds like it’s going to raise the bar for what’s possible in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Like most Marvel flicks, Eternals (formerly The Eternals) is highly anticipated. The movie, about a group of immortal beings charged with protecting the Earth from their counterparts the Deviants, is one of the first big new efforts in Marvel’s Phase Four, and features an impressive cast, including Angelina Jolie, Game of Thrones veterans Richard Madden and Kit Harington, Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani.
In a perfect world, we would already be swimming in trailers for Eternals: the movie was originally supposed to come out later this year. But the coronavirus has slowed everything down. But not to worry: Nanjiani, who plays the Eternal Kingo, promised big things ahead:
“I promise the movie will be worth the wait. It’s the most exciting, fun, epic, thrilling, hilarious & moving project I’ve ever been a part of. And it’s massive. The scale of it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I would walk on to shoot and be awestruck by the sets every day.” Get hype.
Eternals are one of the lesser-known properties in Marvel’s canon, but Marvel Studios has proven again and again that they can take relatively obscure characters and turn them into beloved movie franchise: just look at Ant-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy. Nanjiani sets the bar pretty high with his comments, but given Marvel’s track record, I’m inclined to believe him.
Both the Eternals and the Deviants owe their powers to the cosmic entities known as the Celestials, first glimpsed in the MCU during the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy. We’re dealing with big, heady ideas and imagery here, so I’m not surprised to hear Nanjiani say that the production is stepping things up a notch. If Disney wants the Marvel movies to continue being as popular as they’ve been, they pretty much have to up the ante.
Eternals comes out on February 12, 2021.
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