Kumail Nanjiani, one of the stars of Marvel Studios' Eternals, voiced his support for the decision to delay the film's release.
After Marvel announced that Eternals would move from Feb. 12, 2021 to Nov. 5, 2021, Nanjiani tweeted that the studio "made the right [and] responsible decision," adding, "Nothing is more important than health [and] lives." He also promised that the delay would be worth it.
News of the delay comes amid similar announcements for Black Widow, which moved from November 2020 to May 2021, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which saw its release date shift from May 2021 to July 2021. The delays are a result of the continued effects coronavirus (COVID-19) on the film industry. This is the second rescheduling for Eternals, which was originally slated for November 2020 before moving to February 2021 and now to November 2021.
Based on characters created by Jack Kirby in 1976, the Eternals are an ancient race engineered by the cosmic Celestials. In the comics, interactions between the god-like Eternals and early humans, their genetic cousins, led to the rise of the gods and goddesses in humankind's various mythologies. The Eternals' main foe, who were also created by the Celestials, are the Deviants.
Nanjiani will play Kingo, a sword-wielding Eternal who, like his cohorts, possesses various gifts including super speed, strength and the ability to fly. Eternals is set to be the third film in the MCU's Phase Four, following Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Directed by Chloé Zhao with a screenplay by Matthew and Ryan Firpo, Eternals stars Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Gemma Chan as Sersi and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, aka the Black Knight. The film will premiere in theaters on Nov. 5, 2021.