Eternals | Marvel Studios | Nov 5 2021 | Magnum-Opus by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao - Marvel's first rotten movie | Dips into the 40s on RT, B CinemaScore

[ThomasNicole]

8 minutes ago, Valonqar said:

I honestly don't think that slapping "From the Oscar winner Chloe Zhao" will either help or hurt. Most people don't know who she is, haven't seen her small movies. This isn't From James Cameron/Christopher Nolan/Quentin Tarantino/Other Name Populist Director which can make a difference (and not always, Cameron producing Alita didn't help that one).

 

if anything, it's a nice tribute to her achievement and "critics, pay attention" if Marvel has Picture nomination aspirations for Eternals, but it isn't something that will put butts in seats, that's what Marvel brand does alone. Less than 10M watched her win. 

 

 

They want awards, that's why i think her name will be directly attached to the movie. And also because she have credits as director, writer, and according to the editor she is helping on that too.

[Valonqar]

8 minutes ago, ThomasNicole said:

They want awards, that's why i think her name will be directly attached to the movie. And also because she have credits as director, writer, and according to the editor she is helping on that too.

That all stands and "From the Oscar winning" is a standard thing. I just disagreed with posts that think it could deter audience that is looking for a fun movie. It has no effect there. Marvel sells, while Oscary director provides prestige.  Two different tasks. 

[Macleod]

3 hours ago, titanic2187 said:

Oscar-wining director were mostly specialise in making an amateur-artsy, their track record in smaller film doesn't mean a default success in commercial blockbuster. Just look at WTF ang lee did with Hulk and Gemini Man. 

Hey there... Having only just recently caught up with it -- I loved GEMINI MAN!  Perhaps seeing it on the small screen helps with expectations?  A wonderful genre film with technical innovations made by a master filmmaker.  So the film was not successful monetarily...but I wouldn't call it a "WTF."  It's expertly made, produced, directed, acted.  

 

HULK also has its idiosyncrasies and fascinations, but of course it was a bellyflop at the time, yes.  

 

Ang Lee remains one of the best filmmakers working in the world today.  

 

As for ETERNALS, I definitely expect you'll see Marvel/Disney using phrases like "FROM OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR CHLOE ZHAO" in their marketing...but yes, that stuff won't matter much to the MCU devotees.  The real trick is whether they can get even more of a "crossover" audience for this -- and it has a chance, since it's a completely new set of characters and story.  

Edited April 27, 2021 by Macleod

[titanic2187]

2 minutes ago, Macleod said:

Hey there... Having only just recently caught up with it -- I loved GEMINI MAN!  Perhaps seeing it on the small screen helps with expectations?  A wonderful genre film with technical innovations made by a master filmmaker.  So the film was not successful monetarily...but I wouldn't call it a WTF.  It's expertly made, produced, directed, acted.  

 

HULK also has its idiosyncrasies and fascinations, but of course it was a bellyflop at the time, yes.  

 

Ang Lee remains one of the best filmmakers working in the world today.  

Anglee no doubt is one of the finest filmmaker of our time, I actually rank him as my 3rd favourite director but unfortunately his direction for hulk and gemini man failed to ignite any thrill or fun beyond their high-concept, at least for me. I will rather go back and re-watch his Eat drink man woman, or crouching tiger.

 

As for Zhao, I haven't seen her work enough to comment.    

[Menor the Destroyer]

Gemini Man was pretty dope in HFR (way better than Hobbit's use of that) but idk how much I would've liked it without that. I just loved the look of the action.

[Saul Goodman]

Marvel doesn't seem to be that type of studio to cash in on her Oscar win and release a trailer early. I don't expect a teaser till late July, but I'd love to be proven wrong lol.

[imbruglia]

OSCAR is massive brand globally, highly respected. there're already many people who don't care about marvle or superhero said they're interested due to chloe zhao and oscar title.

remember Joker got massive PR globally due to venice win. crossing over to non-superhoreo fans.

so it's big bonus reaching new audience and extra selling point.

[imbruglia]

Zhao — a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comics from which it originates — approached the company herself. She was originally considered for “Black Widow,” according to Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, but took herself off the list. Eventually, Zhao and Marvel executive Nate Moore began working together on an “Eternals” pitch, which Feige calls “spectacular.” It was, he says, “a very bold and very ambitious, sprawling 7,000-year story of humanity and our place in the cosmos.”

 

In a movie that would be full of visual effects and greenscreen — as all Marvel movies are — Feige says Zhao “was really fighting for practical locations” in accordance with her vision for it. At one point, they cut a sample reel of “Eternals” for Disney higher-ups to watch.

 

“And I had to keep saying, ‘This is right out of a camera; there’s no VFX work to this at all!’” Feige says. “Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside — really impressive stuff.” Later, watching “Nomadland,” he saw similar shots. “Oh! That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel,” he remembers thinking. “This is a signature style.”

 

Q: Kevin Feige said your original plan was that you were actually going to finish “Eternals” and it was even going to come out before you edited “Nomadland.” But because of COVID, you finished “Nomadland” so that was ready first. Is that right?

 

A: Yeah, I think so. I mean they were really back-to-back, those two movies.

 

Q:  That would have changed the course of history! Is it wild to think that if COVID hadn’t hit, “Nomadland” wouldn’t have come out this year?

 

A:I have gone through ups and downs in my relatively short career. And one thing I’ve learned is a bit of a cliché, but everything does happen for a reason. We never expected “Nomadland” to resonate the way it did. But everything worked out.

 

Q: “Eternals” will have Marvel’s first gay superhero, a deaf character, a huge international cast. Did Marvel say yes to all those things?

 

A:  t’s just been such an incredible experience working with the team at Marvel. I want to be careful saying “my vision,” even though I do want people to know they did support what I wanted to do. I want people to know that. But I also want to make sure they know that I got the support of this incredibly talented team, some of the most talented artists in the world. And it really is a village to make this film, but they did let me lead. Yes.

 

Q: I know you’ve worked with small, tightly knit crews on your other movies. How different was “Eternals”?

 

A: Props to Marvel — from early on, they knew the way I wanted to make this film, how I wanted to shoot. It can’t be hundreds of people standing around. So they very much adapted how to run the set the way that I wanted to work. I’m still surrounded by 25 people. They just have armies, and each of them knew they needed to keep the army away.

 

Q: During a conversation you had with Barry Jenkins for Variety earlier this year, when you were talking about “Eternals,” you said, “Can I put a spin on it while still being true to the essence of it?” How did you do that?

 

Jack Kirby and his imagination, his incredible work, is really the foundation of it. On top of that, there is what Marvel Studios has built, this incredible journey they have going on. And then on top of that is me as a fan of the MCU. And then, me as a fan of the genre, but also growing up with sci-fi and manga and fantasy films. And how can we have this big melting pot and cook up something that may just taste a little bit different? It was just an exciting thing; all of us went in wanting to do that. We’ll see.

 

Q: You’ve said you’re getting a writing credit on it, and I know you’re in post-production now. Are you editing it too?

 

A: No. I’m working with two incredible editors, Craig Wood and Dylan Tichenor. And they’ve taught me so much. They were very patient with me, because they know it’s the first time that I’ve collaborated with editors that way. They’ve really helped me find the language to be able to communicate with them in a way that I hadn’t had to do to this extent.

 

Q: Where are you with “Eternals” right now?

A: Final stretch. Just like sculpturing, you never want it to end. You just want to keep going until they tell you you can’t keep going anymore.

 

Q: So you love the book “Dracula”?

A: That was a very important book for me. Immortality is something that I started exploring on “Eternals,” but is something I want to question and understand.

 

Q: When I asked Dan Janvey what I should ask you, he said: “How quickly are you going back to work, and is that today?”

A: I think everyone in my life close to me knows that I’m maybe working a little too much. Yes! This afternoon I’m going back to Disney to work on “Eternals.” Right after this interview. I’m probably late..

 

https://variety.com/2021/film/directors/chloe-zhao-oscars-nomadland-marvel-eternals-dracula-1234961719/

 

 

[Chicago]

10 minutes ago, imbruglia said:

OSCAR is massive brand globally, highly respected. there're already many people who don't care about marvle or superhero said they're interested due to chloe zhao and oscar title.

remember Joker got massive PR globally due to venice win. crossing over to non-superhoreo fans.

so it's big bonus reaching new audience and extra selling point.

Chloe's Oscar win will have zero effect on the success of Eternals. It will depend heavily on its trailer and quality. The idea that a film will do well because its maker won an Oscar for a movie nobody will see just doesn't make sense.

 

Eternals OW will bring in a larger audience than 2021's Oscars did and it will be because of brand recognition and hopefully a great looking movie, not to do with any academy awards

[Menor the Destroyer]

This is easily my most hyped upcoming MCU film at this stage, even over NWH. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint. 

[lorddemaxus]

Shooting a movie in actual locations instead of a green screen being touted as some radical, innovative idea is pretty hilarious.

[tonytr87]

2 hours ago, imbruglia said:

Zhao — a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comics from which it originates — approached the company herself. She was originally considered for “Black Widow,” according to Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, but took herself off the list. Eventually, Zhao and Marvel executive Nate Moore began working together on an “Eternals” pitch, which Feige calls “spectacular.” It was, he says, “a very bold and very ambitious, sprawling 7,000-year story of humanity and our place in the cosmos.”

 

In a movie that would be full of visual effects and greenscreen — as all Marvel movies are — Feige says Zhao “was really fighting for practical locations” in accordance with her vision for it. At one point, they cut a sample reel of “Eternals” for Disney higher-ups to watch.

 

“And I had to keep saying, ‘This is right out of a camera; there’s no VFX work to this at all!’” Feige says. “Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside — really impressive stuff.” Later, watching “Nomadland,” he saw similar shots. “Oh! That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel,” he remembers thinking. “This is a signature style.”

 

Q: Kevin Feige said your original plan was that you were actually going to finish “Eternals” and it was even going to come out before you edited “Nomadland.” But because of COVID, you finished “Nomadland” so that was ready first. Is that right?

 

A: Yeah, I think so. I mean they were really back-to-back, those two movies.

 

Q:  That would have changed the course of history! Is it wild to think that if COVID hadn’t hit, “Nomadland” wouldn’t have come out this year?

 

A:I have gone through ups and downs in my relatively short career. And one thing I’ve learned is a bit of a cliché, but everything does happen for a reason. We never expected “Nomadland” to resonate the way it did. But everything worked out.

 

Q: “Eternals” will have Marvel’s first gay superhero, a deaf character, a huge international cast. Did Marvel say yes to all those things?

 

A:  t’s just been such an incredible experience working with the team at Marvel. I want to be careful saying “my vision,” even though I do want people to know they did support what I wanted to do. I want people to know that. But I also want to make sure they know that I got the support of this incredibly talented team, some of the most talented artists in the world. And it really is a village to make this film, but they did let me lead. Yes.

 

Q: I know you’ve worked with small, tightly knit crews on your other movies. How different was “Eternals”?

 

A: Props to Marvel — from early on, they knew the way I wanted to make this film, how I wanted to shoot. It can’t be hundreds of people standing around. So they very much adapted how to run the set the way that I wanted to work. I’m still surrounded by 25 people. They just have armies, and each of them knew they needed to keep the army away.

 

Q: During a conversation you had with Barry Jenkins for Variety earlier this year, when you were talking about “Eternals,” you said, “Can I put a spin on it while still being true to the essence of it?” How did you do that?

 

Jack Kirby and his imagination, his incredible work, is really the foundation of it. On top of that, there is what Marvel Studios has built, this incredible journey they have going on. And then on top of that is me as a fan of the MCU. And then, me as a fan of the genre, but also growing up with sci-fi and manga and fantasy films. And how can we have this big melting pot and cook up something that may just taste a little bit different? It was just an exciting thing; all of us went in wanting to do that. We’ll see.

 

Q: You’ve said you’re getting a writing credit on it, and I know you’re in post-production now. Are you editing it too?

 

A: No. I’m working with two incredible editors, Craig Wood and Dylan Tichenor. And they’ve taught me so much. They were very patient with me, because they know it’s the first time that I’ve collaborated with editors that way. They’ve really helped me find the language to be able to communicate with them in a way that I hadn’t had to do to this extent.

 

Q: Where are you with “Eternals” right now?

A: Final stretch. Just like sculpturing, you never want it to end. You just want to keep going until they tell you you can’t keep going anymore.

 

Q: So you love the book “Dracula”?

A: That was a very important book for me. Immortality is something that I started exploring on “Eternals,” but is something I want to question and understand.

 

Q: When I asked Dan Janvey what I should ask you, he said: “How quickly are you going back to work, and is that today?”

A: I think everyone in my life close to me knows that I’m maybe working a little too much. Yes! This afternoon I’m going back to Disney to work on “Eternals.” Right after this interview. I’m probably late..

 

https://variety.com/2021/film/directors/chloe-zhao-oscars-nomadland-marvel-eternals-dracula-1234961719/

 

 

 

This makes Marvel and Feige look bad. Marvel should always aim for real locations when possible, they have the money for it. Practical sets and on-location shooting will always look better than a green screen. Feige actually seems surprised by that, which is pretty laughable. 

[Valonqar]

She had me at real locations. Just look at LOTR and then The Hobbit. Real locations make all the difference (though of course LOTR story was much stronger due to being much more faithful to the masterpiece source, while The Hobbit trilogy was a bad fanfic that overwhelmed the source).

[Spidey Freak]

LMAO Twitter is having a field day with Uncle Kevin just now finding out Nature can be as pretty as a green screen.

[Darth Lehnsherr]

I mean in context this is Feige pitching it to Disney execs who probably are as risk averse as any. Can't blame him for having to dumb it down lol. 

[RealLyre]

people dragging Feige for being impressed by how Chloe Zhao made the film look on real locations  just sounds like they're trying to undermine her work, as if anyone could make a film look great on practical locations.

[lorddemaxus]

18 minutes ago, RealLyre said:

people dragging Feige for being impressed by how Chloe Zhao made the film look on real locations  just sounds like they're trying to undermine her work, as if anyone could make a film look great on practical locations.

Nah, no one's taking a dig at Zhao or saying that anyone can make a film look great on practical locations. They're making fun of the fact that Feige's acting like he's never shot stuff outside of a studio before. Dude's just owning himself right here:

 

Quote

“Oh! That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel, to get out of a virtual greenscreen world, which is often the case in our films.

 

[Menor the Destroyer]

1 hour ago, lorddemaxus said:

Nah, no one's taking a dig at Zhao or saying that anyone can make a film look great on practical locations. They're making fun of the fact that Feige's acting like he's never shot stuff outside of a studio before. Dude's just owning himself right here:

 

 

You realize the quote about "not green screens" was him talking to people at Disney, right? It's a real stretch to say that this means that Feige "doesn't know" that movies can be shot on location. 

[lorddemaxus]

10 minutes ago, Menor said:

You realize the quote about "not green screens" was him talking to people at Disney, right? It's a real stretch to say that this means that Feige "doesn't know" that movies can be shot on location. 

The quote I brought up wasn't him talking to Disney execs tho but him talking to the interview about his own thoughts. Plus the other quote of him talking to Disney execs seems to me like he's bragging to Disney execs that the film looks great just because it's shot on location. 

 

On a side note, the implication that Feige hired Zhao without seeing any of her previous films is weird too (when he says he didn't understand this was her "signature style" until after he saw Nomadland, after they shot Eternals).

[imbruglia]

 

 

In conversation with Variety, Feige revealed that “Nomadland” wouldn’t have come out last year were it not for “Eternals” being delayed. He also discussed Zhao’s “signature style,” explained why working with Zhao is critical to the longevity of the MCU, and confirmed the actor who is playing what he calls the “lead” character in “Eternals.”

 

When Chloé approached Marvel to say she’s a fan and wanted to direct a Marvel movie, what was your reaction? And how quickly did you arrive at “Eternals” for her?

Well, my memory of events, which is always colored by our own experiences, of course, is that she first popped up for “Black Widow.” Brad Winderbaum, who is a producer on “Black Widow,” either had an initial meeting with her and then she was going to come back in and do a pitch meeting — but she took herself out of it. She she didn’t have the time, or she wasn’t ready yet, or maybe she was gone off to shoot or prep “Nomadland” — I don’t remember exactly.

 

These are the kind of filmmakers we want to work with, regardless of the size of the film they’ve done before. Unique voices, with unique things to say. And in her case, which is not always a prerequisite by any means, she was a giant fan, both of the MCU and of the comics fan and of the genre. Which watching her movies you wouldn’t necessarily guess. So it was neat that she let that be known.

 

And then later, Nate Moore was beginning to put his list together for filmmakers on “Eternals,” and she was been on the list for that reason: because we knew she was in our world. The two of them started working on something that they then brought to me, and it was an absolute spectacular pitch that Chloé put together. A presentation that Chloé put together about a very bold and very ambitious sprawling 7000-year story of humanity and our place in the cosmos.”

 

Chloé has such a distinct visual style. How will we see that translate into “Eternals”?

 

You’ll see it very directly. She had shot “Nomadland” before she had come to do “Eternals.” I knew that occasionally she would go by herself in her solar-powered van and drive to South Dakota to make this little movie she was working on. OK! That’s neat; that’s different, but OK.

 

What she talked about was really fighting for practical locations, for practical elements — yes, in a movie that is full of visual effects and characters with extraordinary powers, but doing as much as possible on far-flung locations. And that starts to reap benefits visually immediately.

 

We cut a little sample reel together, I remember, to show [Disney higher-ups]. And it was so beautiful, and I had to keep saying, “This is right out of a camera; there’s no VFX work to this at all!” Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside — really, really impressive stuff.

Then seeing “Nomadland” after we had shot “Eternals,” you go, “Oh! That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel, to get out of a virtual greenscreen world, which is often the case in our films. This is a signature style.” Of her, of our DP Ben [Davis], and of Josh [James Richards, “Nomadland’s” cinematographer].

 

“Eternals” expands the MCU in terms of representation, with its large international cast, its first LGBTQ superhero — I know some of those things are baked into the “Eternals,” but how many of those expansive ideas came from Chloé?

Well, the notion of switching up the genders, sexualities and ethnicities of the characters from the comics, was baked in initially — that was part of what Nate Moore was really advocating for in moving “Eternals” to the top of the list for us to start working on. What exactly the makeup was between when Nate put together his internal discussion document, which is how we always start on all of our projects, and what she came in and did, I don’t recall exactly.

 

When it came to casting, that also did affect it. There were some characters that we change from male to female, there were some characters that we knew how we were altering them from the books. But then also it came down to casting. So for Sersi, for instance — and if there was a lead in this ensemble, it is Sersi, it is Gemma Chan — we looked at and read all sorts of women for that part. And ended up really believing that Gemma was best for it. And thankfully, she’s proven that to be the case in the final movie.

 

So, of course, Chloé was a big part of that decision, and of every casting decision. Some of it was some of it was done beforehand, and that continued once she was on board as director.

 

How has Chloé changed how you approach future Marvel projects?

Well, I’m going to make a joke. And I’m sure you know this part: She initially was going to put “Nomadland” on the shelf until after “Eternals” was finished and released, and then come back to it. Because of our COVID shutdown, she decided to get her laptop out and, you know, finish up this little movie she was doing! And so yes, my joke is, let the filmmaker finish their passion projects when you have some downtime from your giant Marvel project, and suddenly they can make history at the Academy Awards. Knock on wood.

 

The real answer is, frankly, continuing what we’ve learned with all of the different types of filmmakers that we have used. When you get people with unique points of views, regardless of the size of film they’ve done in the past, and empower them and surround them with the great artists and technicians that can bring spectacle, that can bring the visuals that a Marvel movie requires, they can take you to places you’ve never gone before. And I think you’ve seen that with all of the filmmakers that we’ve worked with, and particularly the filmmakers who have done smaller, more personal things before agreeing to come on board the MCU.

 

And Chloé is probably the best example of that. Not just because of the work that she’s done, but just her entire story, her backstory. And how she looks at the world is very unique, and that’s what you want in your storytellers and your filmmakers as we’re approaching our 30th MCU movie, and we just wrapped our seventh or eighth Disney Plus series.

 

I’m in my 20-plus years at Marvel. We only want to keep doing this so that we can keep evolving it and changing it and growing it, and doing things we hadn’t done before. And that’s what many filmmakers like Chloé for. Not just for Marvel, by the way, but for the business — and for the theatrical business, and for the quote unquote blockbuster business. 

 

You want those filmmakers coming in and continuing to evolve and adapt what it means for genre film — or certainly for Marvel Studios film.

 

https://t.co/D149Twtq6o?amp=1

 

here is full kevin interview btw. those cinema twitter really looking dumb now. 

 

anyway Trailer release soon I guess with all those interviews.