Oscar winner Angelina Jolie is in talks to star in Marvel’s The Eternals, an individual familiar with the project has told Collider.
Marvel had no comment.
Chloe Zhao (The Rider) is directing from a script by Matthew Firpo and Ryan Firpo, and Marvel chief Kevin Feige will produce.
Created by Jack Kirby, The Eternals follows super-powered and near-immortal beings known as Eternals and their enemies the Deviants, who were created by cosmic beings called Celestials. Feige previously told Collider what appealed to him about the property…
Image via Marvel Comics
“Everything after Endgame, and after Spider-Man: Far From Home, will be different and be unique, as we try to make every film. But seeing returning characters is certainly something we’re gonna do and want to do. But also introducing characters that the majority of the world has never heard of, much like Guardians, much like Avengers before we made Avengers. And there are lots of them. Eternals are one group, but we like the idea of introducing an ensemble, doing an ensemble movie from the start, as opposed to building up as we did with the first Avengers. More like Guardians, not tonally, but in terms of introducing a new group of people. You were asking about ’60s, and ’70s before. Jack Kirby did an immense, amazing epic with Eternals that spans tens of thousands of years, and that’s also something we haven’t really done, which is why that among many other things post-Endgame, we find appealing.”
It’s unclear who Jolie will play, but the actress has been a longtime advocate for gay rights — she and Brad Pitt famously said they wouldn’t marry until same-sex marriage was made legal — and Eternals is expected to feature Marvel’s first openly gay character. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was one element of the story that appealed to Jolie, since it distinguishes Eternals from other superhero projects.
I’m also encouraged by Zhao’s presence behind the camera, as I thought The Rider was one of last year’s best films. Here’s hoping she finds a role of some kind for the breakout star of that film, Brady Jandreau. But Marvel may have set its sights on better-known actors who can help carry the MCU post-Avengers: Endgame, which is expected to be the last Marvel movie for several A-list stars.
Jolie recently wrapped two Disney movies — the sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which will be released this fall, and the live-action/animation hybrid The One and Only Ivan. She’s represented by UTA, and the Hollywood Reporter broke the news.
Image via Universal Pictures
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
