Marvel's 'The Eternals' Will Be Helmed By 'The Rider' Director Chloe Zhao

Marvel’s ‘The Eternals’ Will Be Helmed By ‘The Rider’ Director Chloe Zhao

Chloe Zhaohas been tapped to direct Marvel’sThe Eternals.

Zhao, the director of the acclaimed indie Western filmThe Rider, was initially on the short list to direct Marvel’sBlack Widowmovie, which ultimately went to Cate Shortland. Now asThe Eternalsdirector, Zhao will be helming Marvel’s next potential franchise that could help shepherd the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmic realm.

Five months after Marvel confirmed thedevelopment of a filmcentered on the title created by Marvel Comics legendJack Kirby, the studio has tappedChloe ZhaoasThe Eternalsdirector, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.

Zhao will be helming the film penned byMatthewandRyan Firpo, whose spec script for the post-war dramaRuintopped the 2017 Black List.

The team will be tackling a story about a race of super-powered beings known as The Eternals, who alongside with their monstrous enemies The Deviants, were created by cosmic beings known as Celestials. We’ve already met someCelestials in the MCU, butThe Eternalshas the difficult task of introducing a race of genetically-enhanced, basically immortal aliens — possessing all sorts of powers from superhuman strength, flight, teleportation, shooting blasts of heat and energy from their hands, and mind control — and making them compelling characters.

Created by Kirby in 1976, The Eternals are characters inspired by Erich von Däniken’sChariots of the Gods, which explored ancient gods as aliens. Their comic book arcs ranged from trippy to downright weird, which makes it hard to imagine them smoothly transitioning to the big screen. Just look what happened to ABC’sThe Inhumans, which failed spectacularly at bringing complex cosmic characters to life.

But in Zhao’s hands, it could work. THR reports that the mythology-dense story that be partially pared down by the Firpos into a love story between “Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who relishes moving amongst humans.” And Zhao is more than just an untested filmmaker who Marvel plucked from obscurity. The Chinese-born director’s 2017 Western dramaThe Riderwon acclaim when it premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema Award. Critics raved about the tender drama, though it received little awards love apart from several nods at the Independent Spirit Awards. Here is the trailer for Zhao’s acclaimed 2017 film:

It’s likely that Zhao will follow the footsteps of other relatively unknown directors tapped by Marvel, likeSpider-Man: HomecomingJon Watts who helmed the Sundance favoriteCop Car, and deliver a fantastic adaptation ofThe Eternals.