Was Eternals too daring for its own good? The film’s director Chloé Zhao speaks out on what she learned from Marvel’s most controversial film, and why it turned out the way it did.
Eternals was set up to be something truly special. In a time where the franchise was being bombarded with criticisms for playing it too safe, Marvel Studios brought on Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao to adapt the truly groundbreaking comic series. And with an absolutely all-star cast, it seemed as the project was too big to fail.
Sadly, the film ended up being a bit of a wet blanket for Marvel. The studio gave Chloé Zhao an absolutely monstrous $200 million budget, something the film failed to gross back even after making $400 million. And it seemed that amount of resources was more trouble than it might have been worth, with the director remarking that having unlimited capital for a project like Eternals is “quite dangerous”.
“Eternals had, like, an unlimited amount of money and resources. And here we have one street corner that we can afford, to [stand in for] Stratford. Eternals didn’t have a lot of limitations, and that is actually quite dangerous. Because we only have that street corner [in Hamnet], suddenly everything has meaning.”
What Chloé Zhao Learned From Eternals
Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Eternals wasn’t a pure exercise in futility. It seems as though Chloé Zhao learned some valuable lessons from dipping her toes in Marvel’s sandbox. Notably, the director remarks that the project allowed her to hone her world-building skills, which was something she never had to contend with in prior projects like The Rider and Nomadland.
“Eternals prepared me for Hamnet because it’s world-building. Before that, I had only done films that existed in the real world. I also learned what to do and not to do- what’s realistic and what isn’t.”
Now quite a few years out from Eternals, the film holds an interesting place in Marvel’s fandom. It no longer holds the title of the worst thing that the studio has ever done (though, even at the time that title seemed to shift with every released project). In fact, it actually has a small cult following of those who appreciate the slower moments that Chloé Zhao was able to inject into the film. Though, sadly, it seems as if the characters won’t be making their return anytime soon.
Eternals is now streaming on Disney Plus. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Eternals franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
