Eternals is one of the many highly anticipated MCU projects in the franchise's massive Phase 4 slate and most would agree that a key factor is the inclusion of Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao.
The project is the third film in Phase 4 of the MCU, and it will introduce a powerful group of cosmic immortals that have been living on Earth for thousands of years but choose not to interfere with human conflicts unless their mortal enemy, the Deviants, are involved.
Aside from being an Academy Award-winning director, Zhao's involvement has long been praised by the movie's cast, crew, and even Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. It was reported that Zhao's pitch for Eternals was the best one that Feige ever heard, thus boosting anticipation for the upcoming Marvel movie.
Throughout the film's marketing, Zhao's filming style and insight have been pushed to the forefront.
The visionary filmmaker previously shared that Leonardo Di Caprio's The Revenant became the blueprint in terms of creating the action sequences for Eternals while also revealing that she and her team "wanted to shoot on location" with "wide angles" so that she could get all the visual effects that she wanted to be done the right way.
Now, as the film's release inches closer, a major update has been provided by the Eternals director.
Eternals Director Teases Film's IMAX Release
Eternals director Chloé Zhao shared an important update for the MCU project on Instagram, unveiling that she and the editors finished the IMAX version of the film:
The Oscar-winning director shared the following caption for the post:
"Finished our IMAX version of #eternals yesterday with our editors Craig and Dylan! Can’t wait for y’all to experience the origin of the MCU in the glorious 1.43:1 aspect ratio. Big shout out to our amazing VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti."
In a previous update, Zhao also shared a photo of the day that they found the film's Babylon, showing a fresh look at the Eternals crew:
Zhao's caption can be seen below:
"The day we found our Babylon… thank you team @eternals and @marvelstudios for all you’ve done to support me. See y’all at the movies! x"
Eternals Seems Poised to Look Good in IMAX
Chloé Zhao's filmmaking prowess is set to take center stage when Eternals hits theaters, and many would agree that seeing it in IMAX would be a visual treat.
Zhao's filming approach has been well-documented ahead of Eternals' release. In a previous interview, the director confirmed that the crew used wide-angle lenses and deep focus to give the audience "the space and time to be able to explore what's within the frame," and it's safe to say that this will be properly visualized during an IMAX screening of the movie.
Meanwhile, the other update about the on-location shot of the film's Babylon is a fitting reminder of Zhao's creative freedom for Eternals. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige previously revealed that the Oscar-winner was said to have been "really fighting for practical locations" to line up with her vision for the movie, and the image above is a preview of that tidbit.
Zhao's "signature style," as Feige pointed out, of long takes will be present throughout the movie, and this unique filming style should immerse audiences into the Eternals' world.
The director's passion for Eternals has been imminent from the start, and it will be interesting to find out how her vision will be realized in the final cut of the film.
Eternals is set to premiere in theaters on November 5, 2021.
