Kumail Nanjiani Says ‘The Eternals’ Is ‘Not Like Any of the Other Marvel Movies’
Written by SOURCE on January 24, 2020
The Eternals is slated for a November 6 theatrical release, and we know practically nothing about this star-studded film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What we can tell you is that The Eternals stars Richard Madden (Ikaris), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Gemma Chan (Sersi), Salma Hayek (Ajak), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Don Lee (Gilgamesh), Barry Keoghan (Druig), Angelina Jolie (Thena), Lia McHugh (Sprite), and Kit Harrington (Dane Whitman/Black Knight). Chloé Zhao is directing this film about “ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years,” but “reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, The Deviants” in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, according to the official synopsis.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly. Nanjiani discussed The Eternals in broad strokes, calling the film “really, really epic” while also feeling like they were “making an independent movie.”
“It’s really, really an epic,” Nanjiani “And it’s really such a science-fiction story. It’s a superhero story, but in some ways, it’s the most sci-fi of all the Marvel movies and it’s the most epic of all the Marvel movies. And the story spans thousands of years. So it’s really not like any of the other Marvel movies.”
Nanjiani later expanded a bit more on his “epic” designation of The Eternals.
“I love superhero movies, but beyond that, this is exactly the type of movie that I love,” he admitted. “If someone would say, ‘All right, what kind of movie do you want to watch? What are the things that’s going to have?’ I would say all these things. And that’s what this movie is. It really spans thousands and thousands of years. And the story is just so big and so epic. And I don’t mean epic in the internet way, I mean epic in the old-school way…It doesn’t look like any of the other Marvel movies.”
Nanjiani commends the people behind the film for creating a collaborative environment that values input from everyone involved, which may be a testament to Zhao’s indie background. While others have criticized movies in the superhero genre for favoring spectacle over character development, Kumail doesn’t see it that way in light of his experience filming The Eternals.
“My super-suit is very, very comfortable actually, even though it’s very elaborate,” he said. “But the other thing is, making this massive movie in many important ways still feels like you’re making an independent movie, in the sense that it really feels like a family and it feels like it’s really about characters and relationships and very small moments. So while you have certain scenes where you’re hanging up on a wire fighting bad guys and you have all these superpowers, the rest of it does feel like you’re making something really small.”
Head over to Entertainment Weekly to read the full interview with Nanjiani.
