To say Eternals was hotly anticipated before it was released would be an understatement. This MCU epic had a cast packed full of superstars and an Oscar-winning director behind the camera. So when the film came out to middling reviews, it was confusing.
Upon release, Eternals was quickly swept under the rug as a minor disappointment for the MCU. The history-spanning narrative did not hit quite like some thought it would, and the film's villains turned out to be a little underwhelming.
So the prospect of an Eternals 2 seemed doubtful to many. Even though the film set up some interesting new characters in its final moments (Harry Styles' Starfox and Patton Oswalt's Pip the Troll), as time has gone on it has felt less likely that an Eternals follow-up would ever happen. That was, until now!
Patton Oswalt Lets Eternals News Slip
In an appearance on The Today Show, Eternals actor Patton Oswalt seemingly let slip that a sequel to Marvel Studios' Eternals is in the works, with Chloé Zhao returning as the director.
Speaking with Al Roker, Oswalt publicly shared the announcement that "there's going to be an Eternals sequel" and "Chloe Zhao is going to direct it:"
"They have announced there's going to be an Eternals sequel, Chloe Zhao is going to direct it. So hopefully there will be more adventures of Starfox and Pip."
Is Eternals 2 Actually Going to Happen?
If the future of the Eternals in the MCU was confusing before, it is even more confusing after this seemingly real slip-up from Patton Oswalt. While an Eternals 2 has felt like it wasn't in the cards, that was almost all but confirmed when Marvel Studios revealed their upcoming slate at San Diego Comic-Con. The studio announced the next half decade of the MCU and Eternals 2 was noticeably absent.
So the fact that - at least according to Oswalt - it is happening seems a little weird. And even weirder is the fact he seems to think Chloé Zhao is back to direct after it seemed she had strained that relationship during production of the first movie.
But if this movie is actually happening, fans may have already seen where it would slot in on the calendar. Curing the Marvel Studios SDCC panel, the studio brandished a nearly empty Phase 6 slate with only Fantastic Four and two Avengers films on the graphic. So, if Eternals 2 is real, it could easily slot into one of those empty spots sometime in Phase 6.