Kumail Nanjiani in Talks for Marvel’s The Eternals
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that comedian Kumail Nanjiani may go from The Twilight Zone to the MCU! The Academy Award nominated writer is in talks to join the cast of Marvel’s The Eternals where he would star alongside Angelina Jolie in the ensemble.
It’s unclear who Nanjiani is in talks to play, but Jolie will star as Sersi, a member of the seemingly immortal Eternals who (in the source material) made a life for herself in New York City. During the early ’90s, Sersi joined the Avengers and remained with the team for four years.
Eternals will put its focus on Sersi and Ikaris, and their centuries spanning love story. As conceived by Jack Kirby in the ’70s, the Eternals and their rivals, the Deviants, were offshoots of humanity created by the Celestials. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films have already established the Celestials in the MCU. Even Thanos, the Mad Titan, is an Eternal, although none of his previous appearances in the films have acknowledged that.
Chloe Zhao is directing The Eternals from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo. Marvel hasn’t set a date for the film, but more details may follow after Avengers: Endgame . Currently Marvel has two placeholder release dates set for 2020 on May 1 and November 5. The effects heavy Eternals will likely take that November release date with something smaller scale like Black Widow potentially in line for the May 2020 release.