Salma Hayek In Talks to Join Marvel’s The Eternals

Salma Hayek is in talks to join the cast of Marvel’s The Eternals in — say it with me, Eternals fans — an as-yet-undisclosed role. According to TheWrap, Hayek — best known in geek circles for her work in films like From Dusk Til Dawn and Dogma — will join a cast that already includes Richard Madden and Kumail Nanjiani. The report omits any mention of Angelina Jolie, who was reportedly expected to topline the film along with Nanjiani. It is unlikely, though, that Hayek will be stepping into the role previously intended for Jolie, since that seems like exactly the kind of shift that Umberto Gonzalez, who broke the story, would be on top of.

Exact details on the movie have been closely guarded, in traditional Marvel fashion, though several trades have reported Chloe Zhao has been tapped as director and will direct a script from brothers Matthew and Ryan Firpo. Scoop website HN Entertainment also suggests that cinematographer Ben Davis (Captain Marvel), production designer Eve Stewart (The Girl In The Spider’s Web), and costume designer Alexandra Byrne (Guardians of the Galaxy) will also have some capacity on the film as well.

While the film has yet to be announced by Marvel Studios — something that will likely come at Comic-Con International in San Diego — studio boss Kevin Feige spoke to the intrigue in developing a movie based on the Jack Kirby property last summer.

“Well, one of the cool things about that property and what Jack Kirby did with it and what’s been done with it in recent years is it does tie into they’re called Eternals, they’ve been around for a long time. You know?” Feige said. “There’s this notion of all of these myths and legends that we know from ancient times, were they inspired by the Eternals? Kevin Feige: Were they Eternals? It’s a very … you know, it’s an ancient aliens kind of sci-fi trope that we think would be fun to explore someday.”

Per a synopsis that appeared in Production Weekly, “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 the 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 in moving amongst humans.”

Avengers: Endgame enters theaters with a re-release this weekend while Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into action July 2nd. Captain Marvel is now available wherever movies are sold.