Marvel's Zhao shot Eternals on location as much as possible and used practical effects whenever she could.
Still, Eternals represents a stark departure from Nomadland, a quiet drama about a transient woman making a life for herself in the American west. Starring s McDormand, who also won Best Actress for the film, Nomadland blended a cast of real people playing themselves with McDormand's aching and grief-ridden Fran, the complete opposite of Marvel's massive and interconnected universe. Still, Zhao's work inspired Kevin Feige to bring her onboard and early hype indicates that it may be one of the most exciting MCU entries in some time.
This is likely partly due to the fact that Eternals and Nomadland share more than just a director. In a piece from Empire Magazine, producer Nate Moore revealed that the films aren't as different as they seem, saying that they share the same DNA. While Moore its that Nomadland doesn't have all the "bells and whistles" that Eternals has, he does say that, thematically, the pair of movies explore the same types of characters and the same types of emotions. Check out Moore's full thoughts below:
Chloé’s interested in telling stories about outsiders who find themselves adrift in new worlds. Nomadland and Eternals both share that DNA. Nomadland doesn’t have the same bells and whistles as Eternals, but it has the same thematic resonance. This is definitely a new one for all of us. ‘From the Academy Award-winning director of…’ isn’t a phrase you’re used to hearing before Marvel movies.
Zhao is just the latest indie auteur that Marvel has brought onboard to helm one of their blockbusters. As the franchise has aged, the studio has sought out more untested talent, leaving more room for more experimentation. Previously, directors like James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Taika Waititi, and Ryan Coogler have all gone from directing smaller films to massive MCU movies, most to great success. More recently, Cate Shortland helmed Black Widow and Destin Daniel Cretton will debut Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Zhao, however, will be the first Academy Award winning director to helm a Marvel movie and it looks to be one of the most visually distinct yet. Eternals second trailer showed off everything from the vast world that has changed after Thanos' snap to the growing cosmic forces that are beginning to surface after thousands of years of lying dormant. At the center of all of that, though, will be an emotional core that only a director like Zhao could bring to the MCU, making Eternals all the more exciting.
Source: Empire Magazine
