“Eternals” Director Chloe Zhao Opens Up About How She Pitched Her Marvel Film

Zhao sat down with “Dune” director Dennis Villeneuve for a discussion about film during the pandemic.

BYHayley Hynes
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For those that love the rush of watching a movie in theatres for the first time, the last two years have been especially hard. In a recent interview with Harpers Bazaar, filmmakers Chloe Zhao and Dennis Villeneuve sat down to discuss the future of cinema and streaming in the pandemic age.

Villeneuve, who is the mastermind behind the soon to be released Dune, received high praise from Zhao, and she even revealed that she’s used his work as a reference point when pitching films of her own.

“Eternals” Director Chloe Zhao Opens Up About How She Pitched Her Marvel Film
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“I would like to apply for a job on your set to be your assistant,” she told him. “You know, when I went to pitch Eternals, I had stills from your films as references.”

“I'm naturally drawn to filmmakers who have a very strong hand in world building. When I watch your films, even though they're of different genres, from Sicario to Arrival to Prisoners and then Blade Runner 2049, you managed to build such visceral worlds I can feel and almost touch.”

Zhao, who is best known for her work on Nomadland, also received tons of love from Villeneuve, who has said he’s her “biggest fan.”

The 39-year-old, who hails from Beijing, became the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for Best Director earlier this year, and with Eternals slated to release in theatres on November 5th, the possibility for more awards coming her way is endless.

Check out the trailer for the latest Marvel project below and leave your thoughts in the comments.

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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.