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Eternals 2: Chloe Zhao Wants To Return For An MCU Sequel
Chloé Zhao is hoping to return for Eternals 2. Eternals has yet to open in theaters but has already generated a lot of interest from audiences, as early ticket tracking has it above both Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film held its world premiere on October 18, 2021, at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood and will close out the Venice Film Festival on October 24, 2021.
Eternals is the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also is a passion project for Academy-Award winner, Chloé Zhao. Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, has praised Zhao's direction of the film and the unique voice she brought to the MCU. The various stars of the films have praised Zhao as a filmmaker for being both a presence on set and a collaborator. Marvel Studios has given Zhao a large amount of creative control and is betting big on her creative vision to launch a new franchise in the ever-growing universe, in what the director admits is a big risk for Marvel.
While Eternals has yet to be officially released, Zhao is already hoping to return for Eternals 2. In an interview with The Playlist, Zhao talked about what they accomplished on the first film and how she is hoping to return and collaborate with Marvel again on a second film. Currently, no sequel to Eternals has been officially announced as part of the slate, but the studio has hinted at development on a sequel. Zhao said:
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"What I loved about making this film is that it tied so close to the origin of the MCU is also going to have a big repercussion moving MCU forward. With those two as secured, we get to play and do whatever we want and make a stand strong standalone film and leave everything on the table. I would be back in a second working with the team at Marvel for sure. So we’ll see."
Zhao's return for Eternals 2 is likely, as similar to Ryan Coogler on Black Panther, the studio seems to have a strong working relationship with the critically acclaimed filmmaker. When it comes to sequels, the MCU director return ratio is all over the place. While Jon Favreau and Joss Whedon directed the first two entries of Iron Man and The Avengers respectively, they both departed before the third film. The first three Thor films had different directors, with Taika Waititi's return in Thor: Love and Thunder being the first time a director has helmed multiple Thor films. Doctor Strange's Scott Derrickson and Captain Marvel's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck departed the studio after one film, with Sam Raimi and Nia DaCosta taking over for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels respectively. Currently, James Gunn (Guardians the Galaxy), Peyton Reed (Ant-Man), and Jon Watts (Spider-Man) are the only filmmakers in the MCU to helm all three installments in their respective trilogies.
As for the logistics of when Eternals 2 could release, there are a number of factors to consider. Zhao is currently set to helm a new version of Dracula for Universal Pictures, yet no casting announcement or production start date has been confirmed. Most Marvel sequels tend to come out three years apart, so it is likely Eternals 2 could arrive in one of the 2024 release dates saved for an untitled Marvel film. Although with so many Marvel films announced like Blade, Fantastic 4, and Captain America 4 with no release date, as well as the expected addition of a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals 2 may take a four-year gap like Black Panther and Captain Marvel have between installments and arrive in 2025.
