Eternals Director Debunks Claim Marvel Controls MCU Action Scenes
Eternals director Chloé Zhao debunks the rumor that Marvel controls all of the action scenes in the MCU and doesn't allow for directorial input. Earlier this year, Zhao made history when she became the first woman of color to win best director at the Oscars, and she'll continue to do so with Eternals, the latest MCU movie slated to arrive in theaters. Eternals will arrive next week and introduce a new cosmic team to the franchise with a story that spans thousands of years.
The Eternals first arrived in Earth 7,000 years ago, armed with the task of protecting humanity from aliens known as the Deviants. Each Eternal has their own personality and skillset, and over the years, they've settled into life among humans with varying degrees of success. However, as the movie will reveal, a renewed Deviant threat will pull them back together to save the planet once more. Zhao has assembled an impressively star-studded cast that includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Don Lee, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Kit Harington, and Salma Hayek.
Zhao is the latest independent director to board the MCU, and she's erasing some misconceptions people have about Marvel's approach to action scenes. Over the years, rumors have suggested Marvel won't allow directors any creative input on action sequences, something that was aided by comments made by potential Black Widow director Lucrecia Martel in 2018. However, speaking to IndieWire about Eternals, Zhao cast doubt on that assertion. She said:
“I would probably say that the myth is not quite true and I think I’m not the only filmmaker who would say that. My God, for a year and a half, three times a week for a couple hours a day, I was sitting in front of a big screen making decisions for every detail of how visual effects could look in the real world.”
Much has been said over the years over the amount of control Marvel has over their movies. Some directors have struggled to work with the studio because of it, with Edgar Wright (who walked away from Ant-Man over creative differences) perhaps being one of the most famous examples. In recent years, more directors have praised Marvel for not interfering with the creative process, but it's clear the studio still has a reputation for maintaining a particular formula. At least when it comes to action scenes, fans can rest assured that the directors still get final say, per Zhao's own comments.
When it comes to Eternals, it does sound like Zhao has brought something new to the franchise, though perhaps not quite on the scale as some had hoped. According to the Eternals early reviews, the movie still falls into a few familiar Marvel traps, but also operates on a scale much larger than previous MCU efforts. Despite all the things that might be different, it will still have plenty of the familiar. When it comes to action scenes, fans can decide for themselves if Zhao has a knack for them; after all, she's the one who envisioned them in the first place.
Source: IndieWire