More than a decade of storylines come to a conclusion in Avengers: Endgame this April, after which the future is considerably murkier for the MCU. The consensus seems to be that the universe’s next Phase (if they’re even sticking to the Phase idea after Endgame) will shake up what we expect from Marvel Studios movies. And one clue as to what’s coming is the confirmation that The Eternals is expected to begin filming this August in Marvel’s favorite shooting location, Atlanta.
That’s being reported by Discussing Film, with MCU Cosmic also claiming that the production has been brought forward after the farrago surrounding James Gunn’s departure from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. If this goes ahead as planned, then it seems that The Eternals will be Marvel Studios’ big summer movie for 2020, which may indicate the direction that they’re heading in post-Endgame.
For those unfamiliar with the project, here’s the synopsis:
“The story of ‘THE ETERNALS’ is set millions of years ago when the cosmic beings known as the Celestials genetically experimented on humans, creating the super-powered individuals as well as more villainous off-shoots known as Deviants. The two groups went on to battle each other throughout history to see which would eventually become the ultimate race. The story involves the love story between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who relishes moving amongst humans.”
As comic book readers will know, the Eternals are a different species of human – in much the same way as homo neanderthalis differs from homo sapiens. Unlike Neanderthals though, the Eternals are infused with cosmic energy that makes them effectively immortal and gives them a pretty powerful crop of abilities, including super strength, flight and a variety of psychic powers. We’ve also previously heard that the movie will feature the following characters from the Jack Kirby comics: Sersi, Ikaris, Gilgamesh, Makkari, Elysius, Thena, Zuras and Starfox (brother of Thanos).
Beyond that, there are rumors floating around that say Marvel Studios will use the film to introduce the X-Men and mutants into the MCU, with the Celestial race having apparently been teased in the comics as being responsible for inserting the X-gene into the human race. That remains unconfirmed for now, though, but as soon as more on The Eternals emerges, we’ll be sure to let you know.