'I Would Love to Bring Them Back': Marvel's Eternals Director Discusses What She Wants From a Sequel

Chloé Zhao, co-writer and manager of Marvel flop Eternals, has said she'd beryllium keen to instrumentality for a sequel, and discussed the communicative elements she'd privation to spot explored.

While immoderate aboriginal for Eternals' characters and its assorted dangling communicative threads presently seems unlikely, Zhao has said she'd "love to bring them back" to further grow connected their portrayal arsenic a "pantheon of gods" looking down connected humanity.

"It's determination for a reason, this benignant of myth, and these [MCU] films are a modern mentation of that to me," Zhao told Screenrant. "So, I would emotion to bring them backmost and person much treatment astir the satellite we unrecorded in. I'm truly arrogant of it."

So far, Marvel has not indicated immoderate tendency to marque a 2nd Eternals film, aft the archetypal launched to a mediocre captious effect and disappointing container bureau returns backmost successful precocious 2021.

At the clip of its release, Eternals was the archetypal and lone Marvel movie to beryllium rated arsenic "Rotten" via Rotten Tomatoes (an unfortunate accolade it present shares with 2023's widely-panned Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and this year's Captain America: Brave New World).

Worse, perhaps, was the information Eternals had been a peculiarly high-profile failure, with a lavish accumulation and star-studded formed failing to motorboat an ambitious caller subdivision of storytelling wrong the MCU. (Last year, Marvel brag Kevin Feige confirmed "there are nary contiguous plans for Eternals 2.")

Chloé Zhao. Image credit: Rob Kim/WireImage via Getty Images.

"It's astir a pantheon of gods discussing the quality of humanity, and yet their judgment," Zhao continued, discussing her ideas for however Eternals' characters could beryllium used.

"Which is what Arishem said, 'I'll beryllium backmost for judgment.' "And the crushed wherefore those little plays existed is for humanity to spot however the gods are seeing us, truthful we could measure however we were arsenic a portion of this rhythm of the universe. Are we doing a bully job? Are we benignant to each other? Are we getting to cognize ourselves good enough?"

Unfortunately, it present seems improbable these questions volition ever beryllium answered — astatine slightest not successful a full-blown Eternals follow-up. Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo has returned successful animated signifier for an occurrence of multiverse Disney+ amusement What If...?, and the alternatively unavoidable contented of a Celestial sticking retired of the Earth was a crippled constituent successful Captain America: Brave New World. But otherwise, Eternals' characters and communicative look to person been sidelined. There's besides zero proposition they'll instrumentality for Avengers: Doomsday oregon the multiverse-resetting Secret Wars, which immoderate fans accidental volition efficaciously constitute them retired of existence.

Earlier this year, Nanjiani said helium primitively signed connected with Marvel for "six movies, a video game, a taxable parkland ride... and past nary of that happened." The reception to the task was truthful disappointing that the histrion has besides said helium sought counselling.

Will Arishem yet spare humanity? Will Ikaris return? And volition we ever spot much than 10 seconds of Harry Styles arsenic Thanos' member Eros, and Patton Oswalt arsenic Pip the Troll? We whitethorn ne'er find out. (Additionally, of course, Eternals besides sets up Mahersala Ali's Blade, via a dependable cameo — different task Marvel has presently enactment connected the backmost burner, though has said it inactive intends to make.)

Right now, the MCU is desperately successful request of blockbusters, and it's hard to spot different Eternals task ever being worthy the squeeze. Instead, the adjacent fewer years volition spot Marvel caput backmost to its biggest franchises similar Spider-Man and Avengers for aggregate sequels, arsenic good arsenic a caller X-Men reboot. But possibly aft each that, determination mightiness beryllium country for Pip to popular up again.

In the meantime, Zhao herself is besides busy. This week volition spot the debut of Hamnet, her Shakespeare humanities play starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. Next twelvemonth volition past spot the debut of her caller Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, should the bid beryllium afloat greenlit.

Image credit: Rob Kim/WireImage.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social