Eternals Director Chloe Zhao Says Marvel, Star Wars Going Through “Painful Evolution”

Last year saw the release of many Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, incdluing Eternals, which was helmed by Academy Award-winning director, Chloé Zhao. Ultimately, Eternals was met with mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 47% critics score and a 78% audience score. ComicBook.com gave the movie a 4 out of 5 and called it “a massive undertaking with memorable performances and a messy plot.” Recently, Zhao admitted that she anticipated a divided reaction to the film, and she also spoke to Empire about the “painful evolution” of Marvel and Star Wars.

“[It’s] in the same situation as Marvel,” she explained when Star Wars was brought up. “It’s seen by a big group of people for what it was – myself included, I’m a die-hard, old-school fan of Star Wars, quite conservative actually – and then you see [it] also evolving into the future. Any kind of evolution, any kind of change, is painful. It’s like seeing an insect [transform from] a caterpillar. Marvel is changing, and it’s painful, and Star Wars is changing. I love being part of that change, and finding my footing. Hopefully I can land safely every time, but you never know. It’s the process that matters, and the people you work with.”

When asked if she plans to work on a Star Wars film, Zhao replied, “no comment.” However, she has expressed interest in the past. 

“I would, I’ll do anything Kevin asked me to do,” Zhao replied with a laugh when asked about Kevin Feige’s rumored Star Wars project. “Hmmmm. I have to tread very carefully with what I say here,” Zhao previously said when asked about Star Wars. “Yes. Let’s just say, it’s a world I have so much reverence for because it was such an important part of my life.” 

As for Eternals, Zhao recently said moviegoers — and moviemakers — must “watch and listen and learn” to see if there will be an Eternals sequel. 

“I was encouraged to make a good standalone film, very encouraged to do that. I think now the film belongs to you, not me, and we want to see how this child grows in this scary, wild, and beautiful world,” Zhao told JoBlo when asked about her Marvel return. “And then we need to watch and listen and learn and then see where we go from there. But I think, maybe I’m wrong about this, but I feel like filmmakers, it doesn’t matter what genre, they tend to make the same movie over and over and over (laughs).”

Do you agree with Zhao’s “evolution” comments about Marvel and Star Wars? Tell us in the comments!