Eternals stars Kumail Nanjiani and Salma Hayek appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night to promote the upcoming Marvel Studios film. During the show, we got to see a new scene from Eternals where Nanjiani’s Kingo fights a Deviant. When asked about what Kingo’s powers are, Nanjiani cheekily called them “finger guns.” As we saw in the teaser, he went on to say that it wasn’t just for show and offered some insight into how director Chloé Zhao pitched her vision of his powers.
I got to work and I said, ‘So, how do I shoot?’…Chloe was like, ‘Finger guns.’ I was like, ‘Chloe that’s so goofy.’ She’s like, ‘No! It’s gonna be finger guns…I promise it’ll look cool.’ And so I felt stupid for six months doing this [mimics finger guns] every day.
Kumail Nanjiana
He might have felt stupid while filming, but after watching the new clip of Kingo, Makkari, and Ikaris fighting a Deviant, he said, “It looks pretty cool!”. So, luckily it paid off doing the goofy finger guns for those six months of filming. The teaser also showcased Makkari’s speed while keeping humanity safe from this alien threat. Back in December, we got our first tease of their various abilities and it’s great to see them finally come to life. Going by the various trailers, all the Eternals base their energy from the same source, as we see all of them utilize golden energy that may be our first glimpse into cosmic energy.
Just yesterday, reports were going around about a potential IATSE Union strike to ensure reasonable expenses and breaks for crew members. It was hinted that they were going to go on strike Monday, but a new rumor might point to it taking place as of tomorrow. According to Star Wars Time, it seems that the production of The Mandalorian‘s third season will shut down alongside other Lucasfilm productions. It seems that the plans for the company are to close up shop for around 90 days with 60,000 film and TV workers affected. They do highlight that there is a slim chance they might avoid a potential shutdown, but the chances seem quite slim.
There are also rumblings surrounding Marvel projects eyeing a similar development. So, we can assume the same will happen with other projects like the currently filming The Last Of Us, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, or the recently started Secret Invasion. There’s also the uncertainty of how it may affect post-productions due to VFX departments and editors. The latter may fall into IATSE Local 700 of The Motion Picture Editors Guild. Star Wars Time highlights that their source at the time was unsure. So, the projects like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, and other productions could also face delays. There’s also the question of projects that require reshoots within that 90-day window.
It’s an important step for the industry, as it faced many new challenges with the pandemic. We’ve seen discussion for fair compensation on many levels of Hollywood’s talent, such as Scarlet Johansson‘s ongoing feud with Disney over Black Widow. These actions ripple out to others and draw the attention of the industry to see how they may influence the future. We’ll surely keep a close eye on how it develops, but once the strikes happen we can expect quite a few delays of future releases moving forward.
The COVID-19 pandemic not only saw the upheaval of our everyday lives but also big industries like Hollywood. There’s no better example of the change the industry is going through than Scarlett Johansson‘s recent lawsuit against Disney, which she filed in light of Black Widow premiering on Disney+.
While that lawsuit has since been resolved, it wasn’t without impact. A new deal between the Russos and Marvel Studios reported by the Wall Street Journal was allegedly put on hold due to the then-worrying circumstances of the lawsuit. In an interview with Variety, JoeRusso addressed that alleged deal, hinting that the sibling directors may still be in talks with Marvel studios:
It would be inappropriate for us to comment on a deal if we were in the middle of it.
Russo also addressed the lawsuit itself and shared his thoughts on the current state of the film industry.
I’m glad that the lawsuit’s resolved. I do think it was indicative of significant change that’s been happening. The resolution speaks volumes about the respect for artists moving forward in this changing landscape.
It looks like the upcoming sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘s subtitle may have accidentally leaked online. The sequel to the 2018 animated hit has been quite the mystery outside of the casting of Issa Rae as Spider-Woman and Jake Johnson‘s return as Peter B. Parker. It seems that one of the film’s CFX supervisors, Simon Corbaux, may have accidentally leaked the title. In his work with Sony Pictures Imageworks, he’s listed on working the first Into the Spider-Verse film, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and his latest addition: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The subtitle certainly works for the franchise, as they won’t drop Spider-Man or Spider-Verse. So, as the franchise continues to grow Miles Morales might have gone into, across, through, without, and what else they could think of regarding the Spider-Verse. Of course, the wording also hints at the story exploring multiple dimensions featuring the popular wall-crawler. The first ended on quite the cliffhanger that might get extended with this film. Here’s hoping they’ll also embrace the various incarnations like the famous Japanese Spider-Man.
There’s a lot of potential in this sequel, as there have been quite a few versions of the famous webhead throughout his tenure in comics. Back in February, we heard that The Dot might become the film’s main antagonist. His powers would make sense and he could even become the source for why our favorite cast of Spider-People gets cast out into the multiverse. Here’s hoping with the 2022 release, the wait won’t be too long.
The highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home is fast approaching. Fans are clamoring for any information on the secretive third installment of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise. Sony and Marvel Studios have been keeping mum on the project, but luckily Holland gave an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he teased what is heading our way. He shared his excitement working alongside actor Alfred Molina, who is set to reprise his role as Dr. Otto Octavius or Doc Ock. He’ll reprise the role for the first time since his beloved performance alongside Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in 2004’s Spider-Man 2. He went on to say that:
[He’s] one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with…It was really fun to watch him see how technology has advanced. When he was making these films, the arms were puppets, and when we did it, they’re all imaginary and CG. It was quite cool to see him relive it, but also relearn it.Tom Holland
Holland also teased that No Way Home will feature fight scenes that are “a lot more visceral,” and with “a lot more hand-to-hand combat.” Based on the actor’s comments, it looks like fans can expect to see more creativity in the film’s action sequences than we’ve previously seen with Holland’s Spider-Man. As the trailer teased several adversaries and even Doctor Strange, he’ll have to change up his tactic. A toy leak did tease his new magical webbing which will also add some new flair to his move set once the film releases this December.
Chloé Zhao will introduce the world to one of Marvel’s most unknown corners. We’re looking at the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s origins and how the Celestials created a universe full of potential. In the earliest days of humanity, we’ll meet the ten Eternals that came to Earth. They’ll share their wisdom and protect everyone from the Deviants. Some iconic comic runs explore the story of this alien race. Somehow, we still know very little about Zhao‘s take on the characters outside of some teases, but luckily producer Nate Moore offered some insight intowhat they were inspired by.
Eternals, as you guys probably know, is created by Jack Kirby, 1976. The most popular run, again, I’m telling you guys the things you know, was probably the Neil Gaiman run, right? And I think that’s the expectation of this movie. We’ll probably borrow out from that. But the truth is we actually are more inspired by the Kirby stuff, so we’re kind of going back to the old stuff, both mythologically and how the movie lays out.
Nate Moore
Moore also discussed how much they explored from Gaiman‘s run, as they feared it would seem similar to projects like Harry Potter, The Matrix, and more. So, they wanted to avoid a typical amnesia story and fully explore millennia of human history through their eyes.
So the Gaiman run, which is probably how I came to know the Eternals, frankly, outside of Sersi being in the Avengers for a little bit, it was very much about people who didn’t realize they were special and then, of course, coming and saying, ‘Hey, guess what? You guys are immortals and your memories have been erased.’ That’s pretty cool but that’s also the plot of Harry Potter, and I’m Number Four and a lot of movies like that, The Matrix, right? Whereas we thought it would be more interesting to spend the time with the characters who knew exactly who they were, and to track those characters through in our movie, what will be 7,000 years of human history
Nate Moore
It’s great that they’re embracing how Kirby built the mythology of this franchise. Kirby explored the larger-than-life concept surrounding what the Celestials brought to the universe and how the Eternals carry on their message. The various trailers highlight that very direction, but there were rumors that they’d get amnesia at some point in time. Luckily, it seems we don’t have to worry that in the middle of the film our protagonists repeat what we witnessed earlier.
It looks like the numbers are finally coming in, as currently, Marvel Studios’ next project Eternals is beating US pre-sales records. As of now, according to Insider Charlie Jatinder, the film managed to garner the best sales numbers within 24 hours since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As such, it’s early predictions would hint at a potential opening weekend between $90 to $110 million. As such, it beat out other Marvel Studios films Black Widow and Shang-Chi.
#Eternals scored the best 'first 24 hours' pre-sales in Post CoVID era earning $2.7M Approx. Expecting $90-110M weekend, let's see how it goes in coming days.
Keep in mind, pre-sales don’t always determine its overall box office but rather offer our first look into its potential. No Time To Die was outselling Venom: Let There Be Carnage‘s pre-sales but the latter ended up taking the top spot for best domestic opening with around $90M while the latest James Bond film was below expectation. Of course, the target audience plays a key role in how their weekend’s playoff with Eternals eyeing the usual Marvel viewership to build upon. So, it likely will have similar momentum to
It’s always interesting to get some insight into how the box office develops. We are in a post-COVID era technically, as developments have calmed down and cinemas are continuing to recover. Eternals is a cinema-only release, which has proven to draw in more audiences. Shang-Chi beat expectations and kept the top spot for four weeks without much competition. As we close in on November, we’ll get a clearer picture of how the film will potentially perform.
The critical success that The Suicide Squad has garnered these past few months doesn’t make it a surprise to know that director James Gunn is keen on bringing some people from that film to work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Composer John Murphy, specifically, has been revealed to be composing the score for the third Guardians film by Gunn himself. In an interview with Cinemablend, Gunn said:
I had to get off of a zoom right before this zoom because I was talking to all of my heads of department. We were going through the finale of the film from shot to shot, to shot, to shot and explaining exactly how each shot was going to be done. Now, this stuff we’re going to shoot in May. So this is about just planning. After I get off of this, I’m going to have to go listen to some music that John Murphy wrote that we’re going to be playing during the movie. … I guess I’m spoiling the fact that John Murphy is doing the score for Guardians. So you guys got a scoop.
Like OG Guardians composer Tyler Bates, who used to be Marilyn Manson’s lead guitarist, Murphy has a knack for writing heavier music for films. His 28 Days Later score is an absolute icon. His work on The Suicide Squad had a refreshing sonic palette that we don’t always hear from the DCEU side of things. Him working on Vol. 3 should be an exciting prospect.
The creators of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are coming, the Celestials, as Eternals explores the origins of this fictional universe. After some brief teases throughout the various space-themed films, we’ll finally get to spend some time with these mystical beings alongside their creations. Guardians of the Galaxy offered us not just one but two glimpses, such as the floating remains of Knowhere and a brief look at Eson destroying a planet through the Power Stone.
Of course, there was also Ego in the sequel that redefined our understanding of these mystical beings. The upcoming Eternals film will add one more layer to it, as shared by producer Nate Moore. During ScreenRant’s set visit, he discussed that the upcoming film by Chloé Zhao will introduce “true Jack Kirby Celestials.” He went on to compare them to the previously mentioned characters, as:
In the Collector’s lab, they’re frankly not as big as they would be in our mind, and obviously Ego was a much different version. So this gets to be the giant monolithic space gods and you get to see them, which is exciting.
Nate Moore
As the franchise continues to expand, we’ll get introduced to many interpretations of these characters that were popularized in comics. Kirby had some visually stunning visions of these creators of everything, which will finally come to fruition in the upcoming film. It also opens up the possibility of us meeting Death or the Living Tribunal, who had a recent cameo as a statue in Disney+’s Loki series. The franchise is continuing to embrace every aspect of the comics while still building a coherent world. Perhaps we’ll finally learn whose head ended up as Knowhere all those millennia ago.
Will Poulter’s casting as Adam Warlock dominated the afternoon news cycle yesterday, but earlier in the day, multiple sites published Eternals set visit reports and disseminated quite a few interesting tidbits. Key among them and certainly the one that produced the strongest reaction on our social media was the revelation by Executive Producer Nate Moore that Kit Harrington’sDane Whitman was going to be “just a dude” in Eternals rather than the Black Knight. To sum it up, people were angry. Angry that this news seemed to slight both Harrington and the character, who has a rich legacy in the comics; however, it’s possible that everyone is jumping the gun a little bit and possible that while Kit won’t be swinging the Ebony Blade in Eternals, Marvel Studios might have even bigger plans in store for him. In short, you know nothing, angry fan.
Marvel Studios has plans for the Black Knight. They have for the better part of a decade. Barry Gibbs, longtime Marvel Studios prop master and not Bee Gees falsetto, once told the tale of how the Ebony Blade, the cursed weapon of the Black Knight, was originally set to appear in 2016’s Doctor Strange (presumably in the room in the Sanctum Sanctorum where other artifacts are seen) but was taken out of the script for unknown reasons. They didn’t take it out for no reason. There’s been buzz about the Black Knight in insider circles for several years, so while WHERE they chose to introduce him might have been a little surprising, it wasn’t surprising that they did. And when it’s all said and done, introducing Whitman through his relationship with Sersi-which is comic accurate, by the way-will leave all kinds of stories to be told down the road, something Marvel Studios is very keen to do with new characters on Disney Plus.
You won’t see the Ebony Blade in this movie. He’s not going to be Black Knight necessarily, but that is something that we get to play with down the road.
Nate Moore
Moore’s quote above says as much but it seems that, in anger, fans may have overlooked the last part. Marvel Studios didn’t cast Harrington, a face that is both instantly recognizable and associated with swinging a famous, fictional sword, to have him be Sersi’s man candy. We will see Whitman pick up the Ebony Blade (a long-circulating rumor claims that will be a part of one of the film’s two post-credit scenes) and explore the legacy of the Black Knight. In the comics, it’s a long and dark legacy. A recent merch leak indicates that we’ll see part of that legacy teased (maybe explored a bit) through a ring worn by Whitman bearing the Raven crest worn by all iterations of the character over the years. They pulled the Ebony Blade from Doctor Strange for a reason; they cast Harrington for a reason; they are using the ring to tease the legacy for a reason. I would be absolutely shocked if shortly after Eternals premiers there wasn’t some sort of announcement about a Black Knight series being in development for Disney Plus (perhaps this is the project that goes with the recently formed Speyside Productions LLC: Harrington’s wife was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the starting point for most Speyside Whisky tours).
A Black Knight series has the potential to change the narrative fabric of the MCU in much the same way as Loki has done. If Eternals is the portal through which Whitman enters the MCU, his series could serve as the portal through which the King Arthur, Merlin, Mordred and Morgan Le Fay join him through their connections to the original Black Knight and Dane’s ancestor, Sir Percy of Scandia. An introduction to those characters could set the stage for Pete Wisdom, MI13, Captain Britain, Excalibur and more…all because Harrington likes Sersi in Eternals. The series could also introduce Whitman’s uncle, Nathan Garrett, and explore the dark side of the nature of the Black Knight, something that will surely be explored as Whitman’s character grows over the years-and make no mistake, the 34-year old Harrington didn’t sign on Marvel without a vision of what he might do over the next decade. At his age, a steady job with Marvel Studios sets him up for life.
So don’t despair, fans of Whitman. While he might take a back seat in Eternals, he’s going to get his time to shine.
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