‘Eternals’ Director Chloe Zhao Explains How The Film Is Inspired By ‘The Revenant’

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Of all the upcoming (and long-delayed) Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Chloe Zhao’s Eternals is, by far, the most anticipated of the lot, as the film represents the marriage of one of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors and a truly unique source material.

Yes, while Eternals may ultimately be “just another Marvel movie”, it’s also easily one of the most unique that’s ever been adapted into the MCU. Not since Guardians of the Galaxy has this franchise delved so far into Marvel’s obscurities, and we all know how that turned out (Guardians is my *favorite* MCU film).

Based on recent comments from Zhao herself, Eternals looks set to follow that game-changing trend, as the soon-to-be Academy Award-nominated director said that The Revenant served as a massive inspiration for the film, particularly the action scenes.

“Well, there’s multiple films for ‘Eternals.’ I had to assign a few because of the scale of the film. But I think for the action sequences, which I just had such a great time working on with such a great team, I wanted to reference ‘The Revenant‘ a lot,” Zhao told The Playlist.

“‘The Revenant’ is a film that I love so much. And I think we’ve watched ‘The Revenant’ so many times, every meeting when we come to our action sequences because most of those sequences are shot on location. And I love how immersive and the way how you feel the dash and sequences in ‘The Revenant.’ It’s definitely a film that we aspire to. And Marvel really, really supported that idea and really went for it.”

RELATED: Marvel President Kevin Feige Says ‘Eternals’ Is Based On ‘The Best Pitch He’s Ever Heard’

Eternals — which was originally supposed to hit theaters last November (pain) — is currently scheduled to be released in the United States on November 5, 2021. The film stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, and more.

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