Marvel Studios President and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige shared that Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao was constantly fighting to film the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Eternals, in physical locations instead of relying on green screens and CGI.
Speaking about the highly-anticipated MCU project, Feige told Variety that Zhao "was really fighting for practical locations" in accordance with her artistic vision for the film.
"And I had to keep saying, 'This is right out of a camera; there's no VFX work to this at all!'" Feige stated, discussing how he showcased the film's early scenes to higher-ups at Disney. "Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside -- really impressive stuff."
Feige explained that while watching Zhao's Nomadland, which won Best Picture at the 2021 Oscars, he realized the films shared similar shots. "Oh! That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel," he recalled thinking. "This is a signature style."
In regard to her artistic vision for the upcoming MCU film, Zhao recently teased that she was heavily inspired by the work of late comic book artist Jack Kirby while working on Eternals, stating, "Jack Kirby and his imagination, his incredible work, is really the foundation of it. On top of that, there is what Marvel Studios has built, this incredible journey they have going on. And then on top of that is me as a fan of the MCU."
Zhao made history on April 25 when she became the first woman of color, and the second woman ever, to win the Academy Award for Best Director.
Nomadland also won Best Picture, while lead actor Frances McDormand won Best Actress, making the film the most-awarded of the night. Nomadland was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
Marvel's official synopsis for Eternals reads,
Marvel Studios' The Eternals features an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind's most ancient enemy, The Deviants.
Directed by Chloé Zhao from a screenplay by Matthew and Ryan Firpo, Eternals stars Gemma Chan as Sersi, 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 and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight. The film arrives in theaters Nov. 5.
Source: Variety