Eternals actor Patton Oswalt recently walked back his claim that Marvel Studios has green-lit a sequel to the 2021 film.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Oswalt -- who played Pip the Troll in Eternals' mid-credits scene -- debunked his previous declaration that Eternals 2 was officially in the works. "If there is going to be a sequel, I’ll be the last to know," the actor/comedian said. "I was catfished by the internet."
During an appearance on The Today Show in August 2022, Oswalt stated that "there's going to be an Eternals sequel," with original director Chloé Zhao attached to return. Marvel Studios had not confirmed any plans for a follow-up prior to Oswalt's comments, nor has it done so since. However, Eternals co-star Kumail Nanjiani was quick to cast doubts about Oswalt's claim. "I have no idea," Nanjiani said. "I don't think Patton was right. I think that there was a hoax website -- one of those where it's like one letter off from the real one. They tweeted it, and it spread around and I think that's what Patton saw. I honestly don't know anything."
Eternals 2 Is Up in the Air
Another Eternals star currently in the dark regarding any sequel plans is Barry Keoghan, who noted that a follow-up was not announced at Marvel's presentation during San Diego Comic-Con 2022. The actor relies on Nanjiani for any and all sequel updates. "Kumail is always the one I’m texting," Keoghan said. "I’m like, 'Yo, have you heard anything on Eternals 2?' Kumail knows everything. You know what I mean? He loves comic books. The comic world."
At the time of its release, Eternals was seen as the most ambitious entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Despite its stacked, diverse cast and the Oscar prestige of director Zhao, Eternals was met with mixed reviews and grossed $402 million worldwide on a $200 million budget. Talks of having Eternals as the start of a trilogy in the MCU are not guaranteed, according to producer Nate Moore. "It's not something that is a must-have," Moore said. "Obviously, we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first."
If Marvel goes forward with Eternals 2, original co-writer Kaz Firpo has an idea to pit the immortal alien group against the ultimate Marvel supervillain in Galactus. "Galactus is an amazing, amazing character, and villain," Firpo said. "We are, you know, obviously setting the stage for intergalactic, cosmic, megalith confrontations, especially when you kill a space god—and then the space god comes and kidnaps you and plans to judge Earth, I think the door is very much open for world-eating villains."
Source: Empire