Eternals is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was written and directed by Chloé Zhao, with Patrick Burleigh also contributing to the screenplay. It stars an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Gil Birmingham, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. In the film, the Eternals, an immortal alien race, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.
In April 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that a film based on the Eternals had begun development, with Ryan and Matthew K. Firpo hired to write the script in May. Zhao was set to direct the film by late September, and was given freedom to use her own style when making the film such as filming on location more than previous Marvel Studios films. Zhao re-wrote the screenplay, which Burleigh was later revealed to have also contributed to. Starting in March 2019, a diverse cast was hired to portray the Eternals which include Marvel Studios' first depiction of an LGBTQ superhero. Principal photography took place from July 2019 to February 2020, at Pinewood Studios as well as on location in London and Oxford, England, and in the Canary Islands.
Eternals is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 5, 2021, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
